Powerful Benders
by F22 Raptor
Summary: Discontinued...
1. Causes of Chaos

**General: **

_This is my first fanfiction that I've ever written, and I shall try to pour my heart and soul into this story as much as I can! I'll be as dedicated as all of you have been! In saying this, I must also mention, I don't need reviews to continue (since I have a ton of ideas going on in that head of mine), but it would be much appreciated if you leave some. Actually it would EXTREMELY appreciated! More that you can imagine! More than the power of the SUN! Well, that's a lot of power..._

_Also I'm not one for swearing (though it 'might' make an appearance (eg. If Zuko is going to have a fireball run into him, "Oh gosh" wouldn't really cut it, plus it'd make him look like a pansy)) , and blood and gore is fine and all, but that's not what I'll concentrate on. This will be a story, and the primary importance will go to the story. You'll see what I mean! _

_I had originally wanted this story to be an Action/Adventure/Romance fiction, but with the way it turned out, its actually firstly a Suspense/Tragedy story, as stated by the genre classifications. However, almost equally, suspense, tragedy, action, adventure, romance, humor, mystery, supernatural, drama and even a bit of horror is in this story. The story is not too dangerous, so its at a **T** rated level. Don't take it lightly, though. But remember, above all, it is a suspenseful tragedy, a suspense/tragic story. _

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "**_Avatar: The Last Airbender"_**...that was easy, but I do own the storyline for this story and all elements that are not within the official realm of the funded story done by Nickelodean. I also don't own the first article about the _desert, _nor the line "_For when the world needed him the most he vanished," _you all know where that's from (the intro for Avatar: TLA (well almost)).

**Pre - - A/N 1:** _Now I fore warn you, that this first chapter is pretty heavy, but extremely important! The following chapters may or may not be this long, but all in all, there will a lot of 'story' stuffed in each chapter. You'll notice that his first chapter is pretty impersonal but that's because it gives an overview of something very important. Also the library documents, and articles as well as the content within that you read here, they are just fiction that I made up to help with the story, with a great influence, obviously, coming from the series. _

**Pre - - A/N 2: **_You might also notice that a lot of emphasis is placed on the Fire Nation. Well that's because their the ones that started the 100 year war, so they're really important in this chapter, (Refer to Post - - A/N 3). By the way this is like the 6th repost of this chapter. To note, the beginning has been changed such that the story is more "inviting"...hopefully. _

**Pre - - A/N 3: **_I sincerely hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

"**_Powerful Benders"_**

**--I--**

"_We must have no illusions.  
We shall not walk on roses.  
People will not throng to hear us and applaud;  
we shall not always be aware of divine protection.  
If we are to be pilgrims for justice and peace,  
we mush expect the desert."_

-Dom Helder Camara, _Me Ilaman el obispo rojo_

**--Chapter 1:** _The Causes of Chaos--_

_'Okay!' _The ten-year old proclaimed in his head. After spending countless hours reading and trying to pursue the answers that eluded many of the greatest genius' before him, the young prince felt confident in the fact that he could figure out the one thing that many could not and those were the answers to _those _ questions. Unfortunately it was his ten-year old thinking that took over first in trying to solve the questions. His rational side came after.

_'Now that I have read everything...it should be easy to figure out the answer.' _Concentrating, he began to relay the question in his mind. _'Why were the mountain tops the only things that were affected? Well, that's simple! The first avatar blew everything up, and...everyone died and went to heaven. And the mountains...they...blew up after because...they were sad...Exactly!'_

Zuko was now more than confident. He figured out that mystery in a single minute. Next one! _'Why did they cancel the investigation of the Will of Fire Lord Solzen? Because it was boring!' _

_'Why did my great great grandma disappear? Because...she went walking and bumped into a tree and got lost. This is so easy! I wonder why no could figure it out?'_

Zuko may have been far from the truth, but for a child his age, he was doing fine in trying to figure out the dark secrets of the 94 year war. His skill further grew when he realized his mistakes in the theories.

_'But, why would great great granny wander away so far to get lost? She disappeared, right? And that was after great great grandpa left...she was looking for him, I think. But great great grandpa died...then why would she search for him. Wait, this one is too hard. I'll try the other ones.'_

_'The investigation of the Will was canceled because...nah, it couldn't be because it was boring. Everyone was forced to follow the Will. Even now. So if its so important, why cancel trying to find it? Also, to remake the Will took more money than trying to find it. So why cancel it?'_

_'And if the mountains were destroyed because they were sad, then why didn't the beach blow up too? No, I forgot something. They said only war tools were destroyed, not living things. So was the mountain a war tool? Landslides don't count, because they were caused by bombs...bombs were war tools.'_

"AGH!"Zuko slowly raised his hands to his scalp with the full intention of tearing his hair out. _'How can this be SO hard!'_

His head then popped up as he thought about an idea. _'Okay the mountains were destroyed because the first avatar didn't like mountains. So she, or was it a he? Well, she was a water bender, or was it an earth bender...? Maybe she was both. Oh yeah, she was all four. But she came from...where though? Either the water tribe or earth tribe. Okay, avatar cycle, avatar cycle. Remember the avatar cycle. First...which one is first?'_

"I forgot everything...," he thought unbelievingly. "How could I forget everything single thing?" he exasperated. Looking down Zuko realized that to figure out everything, he would have to start from the beginning. Slowly he started to read and try and remember the entire history of the Fire Nation, and how the war actually began.

In actuality, the questions that Fire Prince Zuko was asking were related to topics that were beyond dire. They were the most monumental questions of the history of the Fire Nation and their answers were its darkest secrets. Amazingly enough it was the ten-year old child of the Royal Family of the Fire Nation that was asking them.

With determination engraved into him, he restudied the history...

* * *

Avatar Roku was a man of great integrity whose pure purpose was to ensure the harmony of entire world. He was a powerful bender with the soul of mother earth incarnated into the form of its ruling creatures, the single beings assigned to watch over and protect that which she supported and he, a lone man with the elements under his own rule, was to accomplish the paramount of that task, which was to watch over the planet ensuring, between the 4 empires, peace so that the world would never suffer, and he was to do it with utmost care and complete devotion. He was to watch over the entire world just as his predecessors had accomplished.

Roku was the son of the Fire Nation, a society whose pillars of determination and endurance supported the concepts of honor and courage, with devotion and integrity as its founding features. These principles had made his life easier. As a born leader the requirements of the Avatar were no doubt placed upon him at birth. As he grew he saw how the world suffered from the tyranny of feudal lords that dominated the vacuum of power that ensued when the previous Avatar had passed away. During his 16 years as a child, the feudal lords had taken advantage of the missing authority, however when he came of age, his task was set to motion. Within decades he had finished that which mother earth had instructed him to accomplish, and for the rest of his life tried to convince the great leaders of the world to never allow such pain to wash over the planet.

The world had achieved that state. It took many years and several councils had to be formed, but peace ensued the world. Even without the Avatar's presence, with the military might and capabilities of the 4 empires and their great and honorable leaders, the world would never again suffer.

Peace, in the minds of all the peoples, would be an everlasting field that the world had stumbled upon and the end would never be in view. Or so they assumed. The horizon of this field never looked more brighter and more beautiful in the many years that dawned upon the earth before this amazing event of perfect unity until a specific day had arose. Years to come would explain the reason why the horizon was illuminated by the glorious and furious sun to a degree that was never imagined on that day. It seemed that fate had a different outlook on the path of life. This day, when the sun burnt the ever beautiful horizon, was the day when one man wanted more than just harmony.

The Fire Lord of that time, the Great Lion of the East, Fire Lord Solzen, wished only for the best of entire world and had proposed an idea that he thought could achieve that same state of peace but at the same time raise the prosperity of all peoples.

The only solution in view would be to have one rule for the world, and in doing so, effectively coordinate the use of resources of each empire so as to bring it to a higher, more prosperous state of living. But for mutual recognition of each other's services and equal input from each of the empires, a council of people from the 4 empires would be required. They alone would act as the single rule to bring about the final aspiration. The beauty in the unity of the 4 empires would be trait recognized for thousands of years. The peace of the world would never come to an end.

Of course having a single council comprised of influential members would warrant some form of disagreement. In response to this recognition, there would be a formal leader of that ruling, a leader that would act as the judge and jury of each proposed idea. This leader would be the Avatar himself, and though the Avatar's presence was, at first, merely a deterrent of war, their presence also insinuated authority.

* * *

**_Historical Document Library 14: Section 42_**  
_**- Account of the Avatar: The history of the first war**  
Part 1_

_The Avatar cycle began when the Great War, a conflict amassing the full power of three different empires, was at its climax. This was around 10000 years ago when the ruling peoples started to perfect the form that allowed them to gracefully bend their mother element. _

_When the first peoples resided side by side, conflicts, though minor in a nature, started to develop as those that were recognized for their elements and customs were separated socially. At first disputes occurred over farming lands, and hunted species which soon lead to conflicts in trespassing and land ownership as well as land deformation. With the many people forming the mainland, and the several cultures engaging each other head on daily, the defiling of many sacred relics and monuments became common place, but by no means acceptable. However these were natural occurrences that happened to play upon the forming of society. _

_What brought this usual engagement out of proportion was the use of elements for the purposes other than helping. At first the bending of the elements was used to ease the stress of everyday life. Water bending along with earth bending skills helped to irrigate the lands and crops grew much more efficiently. Earth benders alone would help in the creation of giant monuments and temples. The use of fire was important in the forming of new metals, while the usage of air was to shift clouds from natural positions to that of providing an advantage to the benders. Water bending alone would allow for healing. Needless to say, when the first bending practices were formalized, progression was not a problem. _

_But the use of bending caused the people to be dependent on the other elements. So when differing elemental users fought with each other, it was easy to play on the emotions of others. The bending practices alone caused the people to segregate into clans that would engage each other often._

_The fire clans were as personable as the elements they represented. Their path to anger and violence was nothing short of what they're element was known for. When angered, they would sometimes use their own element against the others, showing them to be very volatile, and like fire, when left without supervision, were able to cause extreme damage. Earth clans were nothing better. At first they were like the dirt paths that provided the sure footing of travelers to walk over, but when pushed they would act like quick sand, betraying those that trusted them, or were like the mud slides that voluntarily hurt many people. Conflicts between these two clans were regular occurrences. _

_When the first sages came about, the practices of bending became more of a deadlier or helpful force, depending in whose eyes the practices were seen through. Constantly engaging in battle the fire clans were forced to reside on the islands off to the East of the mainland. Pushed over their borders, the earth clans declared victory over their lands, to the displeasure of the peace loving water and air peoples. The fire clans were fused to form the first empire, the Fire Nation. _

_The other elemental clans resided together on the mainland, with the other islands as of undiscovered at the time. The lands of the Fire Nation provided rich fertile grounds, and it was apparent that the lands they were forced onto were the one of their dreams. Their islands were massive and were dominated by the presence of the land forming volcanoes. The soil there had enough nutrients and minerals to support agriculture without the assistance of the other benders. However, many of their main requirements like clothing material, were still inaccessible in the area they resided now. In order to allow for trade, which was seen as a plausible solution, since the conflict died down, the Fire Nation had engaged the eastern shoreline of the mainland in an attempt to assure themselves a piece of earth allowing safe travel between the waters. _

_This was taken as a signal for war and though the Fire Nation tried to convince otherwise the earth clans refused to change their stance, they were as adamant as the stones that they could hurl. The only clan to fight were the earth clan peoples with the air and water clans deciding best to stay neutral and away from danger. The earth clans engaged the opponent with such ferocity that the Fire Nation was taken by surprise, driving many of the traders and assistant soldiers to death. This single action of brutality caused the air and water clans to form together for each others safety and in an attempt to escape the ensuing battle, they were forced to the northern regions of the central area they once lived in. _

_A few decades after this mass conflict, casualties were rising heavily, and in the eyes of the air clans, unnecessarily. A group of benders whose manipulation skill lied with the air had taken the initiative to interject in between the warring peoples, and so being deployed in a vast number of squadrons, they were sent over the great valleys of the mainlands to reach the eastern shoreline of the capital continent, in an effort to establish negotiations between the peoples. Their efforts were in vain, as both the Fire Nation and the earth empire viewed them as a common enemy, and as a third party engaging in hostile activity. This could not have been farther from the truth and though their intentions were brushed aside and were not even considered, their ideals stayed strong. Not once during the engagements had a single air bender ever been accused of selfishly taking a life. Their POW (prisoner of war) camps were massive, and well kept, unlike those of their fighting counter parts._

_Their efforts however, did not go unnoticed, and the remainder of the air clans had decided best to assist their brethren in battle. Vast armies, in the name of peace, were sent to try and settle down the earth clans, for the earth clans were the peoples with the larger space and resources. The Fire Nation was dwindling when compared to their former size and negotiations on their part were rather smooth if not cumbersome in trying to settle their terse tempers. When the earth clans were approached from the rear, their forces had but two options. The first being to give in to a peace treaty or to push themselves over the waters of shoreline, for during the battle their forces were concentrated and isolated in that region. _

_Needless to say, the air clans had found themselves an enemy, for where their actions were in the name of unity, they're opposer's saw otherwise. The earth clans had began to engage the air clans, and their armies were being decimated. In a desperate attempt to save their fellow fighters, the benders of air from the other side of the border engaged the Fire Nation in a treaty that allowed the force to be fused into a single unit, that together countered the earth clans. _

_What took place was not in the good favor of the people of water, and the actions seen as honorable between air clan members was seen as a disgusting act of betrayal by the water whereby their reasoning was that their own fellow neighbors now sided with those that supposedly initiated the war. Several air clan warriors were shot back to the region of where they initially resided in an endeavor to mass conscript their former friends. That notion however failed and the water peoples soon disbanded their alliance with the air. _

_In effect, the battles were now declared a full scale war. This was the Great War, in which the powers of Air, Fire and Earth collided and throughout this time ignited the anger of the spirits. The otherworld, the world of the spirits, were dominated by creatures and beings of vast sizes and abilities. In ages past, they assigned their mystical abilities to those of the humans. Now looking upon the beaten world, they noticed how mistaken they were to grant such abilities to such peoples. In the first time in millions of years, all were in agreement, all were angered by the actions taken place upon the poor and beaten soil of mother earth. It would take a single day for their powers to finally intervene._

_By now, the air clans were well acquainted with the Fire Nation, and had decided that forming their own empire would allow for more efficient communication and trade support, so the air peoples had together formed the Air Nomads. The earth clans by now had already become large in size, and their land dominance was measured in the forms of hundreds of fields. They were no longer small, and the name soon became applied to their clans, the Earth Kingdom. Being isolated to themselves far off to the northeast of the mainland, the water had declared themselves the final empire, the Water Tribe._

_Decades later, the war was on the threshold of wiping out the entirety of all the engaging empires. When the Air Nomad and Fire Nation sages discovered the effective use of explosives, and the Earth Kingdom found out about blasting jelly, casualties rose to thousands. Add to that, the technical genius of the Fire Nation had brought about the existence of catapults.There was one day, when all this force was applied together, and in a single moment the eastern shoreline was completely wiped out, with the thousands of stationed troops finally disappearing in the blazing inferno that soon corrupted the lands. This was the Black Day, in which the sun was blotted out by the moon encasing the world in a total eclipse._

_In anguish of the pain of receiving so many spirits within a single millennium, spirits that belonged to those who deserved to die and those that didn't, a number that reached close to several, several thousands, the watchers of the spirit world had finally seen enough. This was the day in which the spirit world, unable to take back its power from those that never should have received it, had decided upon the common idea of selecting an animal to help stop the war. But for this creature spirit to actually take on any physical dominance in the real world its soul would have to be unified with a single being, trustworthy and capable enough to bring the war to its knees. _

_A single child was born in the far north, her parents were benders of their mother element, water. The Water Tribe was the only empire to effectively stay neutral during the entire conflict, and the day this child was born was the Black Day. The watchers of the spirit world had assigned the role of diluting the war to this single child. She inherited the spirit of the Wolf of Heaven Above, and with its shear destructive force and highly docile and friendly nature, along with the soul of a blessed and peace loving child, the first Avatar had came into being._

_It was said that at her birth the lights of the northern skies had illuminated to a frightening degree, to a point that it terrified the peoples that saw the inferno above their heads. The night sky had shimmered under the sun's intensive stare, as its upper limits were beaten by the solar flares that thrust itself upon the earth, and the rays of the spectrum filled sheets of lights had flashed dangerously back and forth. It was a spectacle, to say the least, and was the first time when the fury of the spirit world was perfectly visible to the people. It was also said that during that week, the sun had many dark spots on its surface and the predictors, of that era, had taken to the idea that for the first time in the decades of the war that had drenched the world in blood, that the sun's fury would finally settle down. _

_The first Avatar was, indeed, a powerful bender that had learned, at the tender age of five, that she mastered all four elements, and upon discovering this, had taken it as her responsibility to master the elements as soon as she could. She was born on the day of of the first eclipse, when the moon overpowered the sun, and was foretold by the predictors that she had the single most important fate of stopping the war. _

_Rumors had spread that there was a powerful beast that walked the lands far to the north and was encased in a child. She was able to crush mountains, evaporate and freeze water in a single instant, and combine the elements of fire and air to create massive and directed explosions. Many pacifists had taken the responsibility of finding this girl with the soul purpose of training her in the arts of their own elements in case the rumors were true. But of course, they would only train her if her ideals were strong and if her morals were firmly established in the roots of peace and love, which happened to be the case. Many powerful benders traversed the harsh northern landscapes to train her, and her skills exceeded that of even the lords that fought in the war. _

_At the age of eighteen, she was sent off into the heat of battle, after many years of both her and all the sages and predictors, of the Water Tribe, trying to convince the leaders to try and end the war. By now the war was at a stalemate, each side effectively knowing the others strengths and weaknesses and utilizing them for their own advantage, which resulted in a no gain, no loss situation that lasted 3 years. This was not to say that the war was still not furious. Contrary to that, the battles now used much more sophisticated devices, brought about by the tides of war, that had continuously caused the conflicts to hike to a newer level of intensity everyday._

_The Avatar had actually crossed the Great Ravine, taking an excessively long route around the battle field in an attempt to avoid any unnecessary conflicts of her own. By now she had had many pursuers after her that came through a path that gouged through the northern lands. Her trait of being able to bend the four elements were seen as an invaluable asset to the war effort by every eye that propagated the war. She was traveling with a large contingent of Water Tribe soldiers, that had routed their path to along the southern lands. Scouts were sent in frog leap progression tactics and used guerrilla style combat to steal the command posts that lead up to the battered eastern shoreline._

_Upon reaching their destinations, the division was split into two large squadrons that would try and form a negotiation with the opposing parties. However before the first scout was even sent, the Water Tribe had come under attack by the warring empires. They were ignorant as to the side the Water Tribe took and had mistook them as an enemy siding with the counterpart fighter. But even before the first ship launched the catapults, or the first mountain slope detonated, the spirit of the Avatar had taken its stance within the young girl._

_All that was said about that event was that there was a very bright light that encased the world in a blinding glare. Actually not even this description does justice for what happened. Every mountain top within a few lands distance was leveled flat, and every ships main body had their steel panels ripped off. The catapults and surrounding fortresses were mutilated in every form imaginable, rivets were blown fields away, and all the weapons melted. It would have been the most horrific sight one could ever lay their eyes upon if what had just transpired was followed by what most thought would transpire. The Avatar had utterly decimated the forces of the 3 empires. But strangely enough, and more accurately, it was not the forces, exactly, that she decimated, but the instruments used by those forces._

"_In her quest to finally end the war, she had not taken even one single life." It was as if every living being on the planet was spared the harsh treatment that was dealt to the tools of war. In effect, every thing that had a life of its own, and a spirit within, were not affected by her wrath. The only things that were destroyed were those that were specifically designed to kill other people, it was, accurately put, those inanimate devices that had the pure intention, and that were engineered with the only thought of annihilating more innocents. Everyone of these devices were gone. But when everyone opened their eyes, they saw that their bodies were unscathed, except by the previous battles, and that their armor lay shredded beside them leaving them unharmed and only in their tunics. The fact that everyone should have been killed was the same fact that never transpired, which made the horizon view the most beautiful sight one could bare. _

_All the tools of war were mere shadows of what they originally were, and yet all the plants and animals, stood upright. All the soldiers just stared upwards in awe, their eyes burning from the after effect of the glare. Their attention turned to the woman that had illuminated the sky. Her beauty was beyond imaginable, as every soldier had their eyes locked on her, their stare unmoving, their entire mind and body awe-struck. Her usual brown silken hair being wound up into a bun with a small pony tail transcending down her back hitting her midsection, was now floating around her, along with her bangs. The tips of her hair had the bright tinge of glowing blue light, and her eyes were drowned out by the magnificent white luminescence that came from it. Her hands held together in a sign of prayer, her feet together standing upon the air. Her combat and winter clothing swayed back and forth from the the torrent that surrounded her. She was several cubits off the ground. But though her posture and immediate demeanor would have fooled anyone into thinking that she was angry, one could see from her face, that she radiated the peace loving child that still made her who she was. Her brows were not furrowed, and her expression was not taut, she had a gentle atmosphere surrounding her._

"_In her quest to finally end the war, she did not take even one single life." Her energy and aura of peace resonated through every soul on the planet, and the fighting finally ceased completely. With all the weapons in disrepair and almost unrecoverable, the soldiers looked to one another. What they saw surprised them. There were their own brothers and sisters standing beside them, ready to risk their lives to save one another. They put their own securities behind their family's safety, and for what purpose? To regain the honor they once lost? To seek revenge for the loss of their loved ones? What was the purpose of this war? The Avatar looked upon them all, and her radiance diminished. What she said would change the face of the world forever, in that what people chose as their own priorities for war would eternally be indifferent on small matters, such as the one she then stated._

"_Why do you fight? Why do you kill those that are different? Why do you put the safety of your family in the inferno of war if it isn't necessary? Must I tell you what you all are fighting for? The motivation for this war stems nothing from courage or honor! This war has spawned from a misunderstanding! You are fighting for pride and nothing else! Love is worth fighting for, but not even love has rooted its seeds in your hearts. The battle has ended, live in peace..."_

_Everyone realized this immediately. The feudal lords, all located on the eastern shoreline approached one another on the battlefield. They converged on the Avatar, and upon reaching her location, they cast down their own flags. She too cast down the flag tied to her back. The feudal lords looked to one another and bowed before her, apologizing for their actions, when realization of what started the war dawned on them. The remaining soldiers also bowed. By some miracle, still unexplained today, the battlefield was actually upon the eastern shoreline. Every soldier and every battle asset was concentrated at this point. No where else in the world were there conflicts being engaged. This was the only land, and so every single soul that ever participated in this war, that was still alive, had bowed before the beauty called upon from the heavens above. _

_All the soldiers that were in the middle of an engagement, helped their opponents off the ground in a sign of sincere respect, and the soldiers departed from the lands. The Fire Nation returned to the islands determined to make a pact with the Earth Kingdom allowing them free travel across the water. The Earth Kingdom returned eastward determined to give lands to the Fire Nation. The Air Nomads returned with the Earth Kingdom, and bypassed them to the northern lands happy that their endeavor was met, and finally the Water Tribe soldiers traveled up across the eastern shoreline to try and stop any conflicts that may have escaped their Avatar's grasp. Upon seeing none they traversed the frigid northern lands back to their home._

_The Avatar's duty was still not complete. Over the years, she became a very influential leader that everyone looked up to and she proposed and propagated ideas that she knew would further deter war. The Air Nomads lived close to the Water Tribe, and by the request of the Avatar, were again separated. As the only peoples to ever undertake the task to try and end the war with no regard to their safety, she had asked a powerful part of the Air Nomads to reside in the eastern vicinity in case an event of this nature occurred again. Taking up harbor on the northeastern islands were the Eastern Air Nomads. _

_The Fire Nation resided on more than just the few islands that they had found and were pleased with their own land masses. They were granted diplomatic immunity to certain and very helpful regions of the mainland, granted to them by both the Avatar and the Earth Kingdom. A temple was erected in one of the islands, which would be used as a beacon if ever the Avatar's help was necessary. _

_The Earth Kingdom truly did build on their empirical name of Kingdom, occupying almost the entirety of the mainland as a result of the war, and many of the islands to the south as well. They became experts on agriculture and usual exports were sent to each of the empires. The Earth Kingdom no longer reflected the quicksand with which they were once associated with. They were now, strong and powerful mountains used only to protect those that they loved. _

_By now the Avatar had moved back with the Water Tribe peoples and settled into the northern glacier islands. But a few of the Air Nomad members had disagreements with them and were granted the permission to occupy a certain island in the south. These Air Nomad members departed and became the peace loving, Southern Air Nomads._

_The Avatar's spirit dwindled when she had fulfilled her destiny, and she had brought about peace at 30 years old. She passed away over the waters between the Fire Nation and the, then ruling, Earth Kingdom lands, where her spirit slowly ascended back to the spirit world. A form of her spirit had, however, taken up stance in two worlds now, her strength, the glowing duo fish that swam back to the Northern Water Tribe people, and her life, the bright and beautiful glow of the moon. _

_However one thing remained unexplained, and still is to this day. Why were the mountain tops leveled if the only things affected were the tools of war?_

**-Fire Sage Ozurai**

* * *

**_Historical Document Library 14: Section 42_**  
_**- Account of the Avatar**  
Part 2_

_But this was all 10000 years ago. 125 Avatars had been granted to the world by the spirits, to further strengthen relationships between the now established 4 empires. The cycle corresponded to the seasons. Since the first Avatar came during the time of the cold and bitter hearts that reigned over the world, she was to be the guiding spirit to take care of those during the winter season. _

_The following Avatar's destiny was to make sure the entire world would remain in harmony with each other. The largest of all the empires was the Earth Kingdom and so the next Avatar was born, with the spirit of the Badger Mole, in the Earth Kingdom. It was because of the fact that the Earth Kingdom had so much influence over the world, that they were chosen to be mother empire of the next Avatar, so that the Avatar could extend his reach over the entirety of the 4 empires. This was a season of growth and peaceful living, reaching through the spring season. _

_However when this was all done, the world was becoming more laborious to live in, the world was undergoing strife once again, and the fury of the high rising sun of summer was of no help. The next Avatar was the Avatar of the summer season, the time of hardships, with the spirit of the Dragon, and he was from the Fire Nation. Thought of with an iron jaw, and a soft heart he kindled the worlds flame once again through determination and courage, traits of the Fire Nation._

_However, the greatest honor was given to the Air Nomads. Because of their concern for others over themselves they were granted the season before the the Water Tribe Avatar. The 4th Avatar was an Air Nomad, with the spirit of the Bison, born for the Autumn season. In Autumn the leaves had turned gold and red, a result of the scorching flames caught on by the fires of war, and those same leaves fell off of their humble attachments in hopes of finding refuge through death. But the Air Nomads were not like that, for during that time of lost hope they went searching for it, forcing themselves into the Great War. They were the people to fight for peace before the bitterness and cold of winter ate their hearts as well, as war consumed them. _

_But hope was not lost because then the cycle began again, where the Water Tribe Avatar would once again bring the world out of its cold and bitter pain of winter. If one were to notice, the cycle of the Avatar matched exactly that of the cycle of the seasons of a normal year. Many of the mediators of that time, had realized, that to predict which empire the next Avatar would come from, just required a single look at the birth empire of the previous Avatar, and by remembering the cycle of seasons, the next Avatar's empire was determined. _

_A confusing and yet un-paradoxical conclusion was brought about by one of the mediators of that time. "The seasons that circle the year match perfectly with the cycle of the Avatars. However, Avatars are never forced to be born during their mother season, it is just that the 4 elements, and appropriate empires, correspond well with the 4 seasons of the year, and so the cycle of the Avatars mother elements will be in tune with the cycle of the seasons." _

**-Fire Sage Zaboa**

* * *

The Avatar would be the perfect leader of the world. Fire Lord Solzen took to the idea.Upon raising the idea with Avatar Roku, who joyfully was in agreement with the proposition, the Avatar called upon the most influential of all leaders together. The meeting was held in the Fire Nation's Temple dedicated to the Avatar. Formalities were addressed, and the structure and influence of this group, discussed. The meetings traversed several hours a day, and continued for several months. And since the Avatar would always change their birthplace, issues of biasness were never going to be a problem. It wasn't even considered a problem before hand since all the Avatar's since the first, were the most honest beings on the planet. 

After the final signing of the group, formally know as the Confederate Empire, the Avatar was to be inaugurated in just two months from that day. However in the extreme bitterness that fate played upon the world the Avatar's health was failing. Within a month, the destiny of the Avatar was completed and his spirit passed on. The dragon and himself would be the guardian gatekeepers of spirit world till the next Avatar had died. Till then Avatar Roku's spirit was to be the guiding light of the next Avatar.

In a town far off to the north, were the Air Nomads, living peacefully with their brethren counterparts, the Water Tribes, in the instant the Avatar died, a bison was sent across the passage of the spirit world to transcend into the body of the new born child, born that day. His name was Aang, and he was born of a beautiful mother with the most loving heart, and a father with the most courageous soul. Indeed these traits would be fully embedded into his own design. The monks of the Southern Air Temple had called upon the mediator bison herd to follow the path with which they were inclined to follow, since their own spirits yearned to see the new Avatar's spirit, the Bison. When reaching the town, they were drawn to the cries of a child with arrows surrounding his body. Opening several thick, white-lined mats, they presented the child with a set of toys.

The child was calm for a very long time and surveyed the toys presented before him. As he would, 12 years from now, he picked up one of them, raised it high above him and drew the wire out sending the tiny chopper whizzing through the air. He further looked around and spotted a tiny wolf figurine with its legs connected on hinges. With one last sweep of his selection he picked up the tortoise doll, and an odd toy, that had a spiral design in its center. He placed the last toy in his mouth, and the child looked with glee as the tortoise and the wolf hopped off to meet the first toy. The child giggled at his antics and was proud of his selection.

The monks were astonished. The child had chosen the 4 Avatar relics, and though one could argue that he just randomly picked them, the case was that he recognized them, and this recognition came from the spirits of the previous Avatar's before him, which undoubtedly were part of his soul. This was what usually happened, but every time it did, it surprised them. Upon choosing the toys that determined him to be the Avatar, Aang's parents were happy for him and had agreed to allow the child to travel with them to the Southern Air Temple to train him as a monk, with strong peace loving ideals.

When this happened the end of that beautiful horizon of peace started to burn brightly with the sun's glare. The time of harmony would be coming to an end. When Avatar Roku died, the world mourned the loss of a great and powerful hero, one in which who was summoned by the watchful spirits above to dutifully carry out the will of granting perfect justice and eternal peace while his title held strong. Not once did the Avatar ever think selfishly, always placing his life after those of even the meekest of souls.

Ceremoniously, the Avatar's body was dressed in the most perfect of silken clothes, that which represented the best that the Fire Nation could ever offer. His clothes were of the finest crimson red, and of the most beautiful and most refined gold. His burial would have been more extravagant had he not requested that the resources be directed to training the next Avatar, instead of tending to his mortal body.

His body was placed in a giant wooden coffin, lined with the most powerful of steels, and the entire form was shelled inside a powerful mineral enriched rock, that not even magma could ever eat up. Avatar Roku's body was laid to rest within the confines of the volcano on the island where the temple was located. This form of burial was done just as how the many other Avatar's of fire had previously been buried. The crowds of mourners counted were thousands and were from all 4 empires, enough to fill up the shore line with boats, and the lands with travel animals.

The Confederate Empire motion was still to be set. Not even the death of the Avatar could relinquish the duty of this new party. This was the will of the Avatar, and Solzen kept his word strong. The party consisted of 32 members and there were 8 representatives for each empire. However now was when and where the problem occurred. Since the duty as the invigilator of the Confederate Empire was now an open occupation, the position, by agreement, was to be handed over to the descending Avatar. This, indeed, raised a problem that was not accounted for in the early stages of the development, since Avatar Roku's participation was believed to be ensured. Aang was but a child and was not disciplined in the ways of the proper monk. He could not speak, nor write, nor could he perform any basic requirement that would be necessary to survive by himself with one's own knowledge. Aang was just a child and due to this, he did not know anything about politics, nor did he develop his own morally influenced ideals. Aang was just not ready.

Aside from this Solzen had his other reasons as well. A sense of pride had swelled up in himself, and that of the Fire Nation, when Avatar Roku complimented him on his idea of the united empire. Roku was extremely pleased with the idea, and when many of the leaders, of the many empires, agreed to the formation of this conglomerate faction, Solzen was held in high-esteem, both by his own peoples, and those of the other empires. This feeling within him further increased when he realized that it would be one of his own brethren that was to take the position of the leader of the Confederate Empire. Since the idea originated from the mind born of fire, it would be rightly so that the first true leader of this unity would be of the Fire Nation. Sadly, Roku had passed on, and this inflammation that overtook Solzen's heart lead to his next proposition to overcome the developed situation. He granted the idea for himself to take position of the leader of the Confederate Empire, till such time that Avatar Aang was ready to be placed into the position.

All the empirical representatives had agreed that a problem did arise when Avatar Roku had died. However, they were split in the decision on electing Solzen as the lead invigilator. Some saw Solzen's facts and held him to be the perfect leader, one in which who would represent the honor of the empire that spawned the idea. This group also agreed that Solzen would be perfect regardless, because of this peace loving ideals and strict disciplinary attitude. Others saw the facts but opposed the concept before the idea even came into being, disregarding prestige and replacing it with fairness. Many others saw themselves as better leaders. Needless to say, after months of debating, a vote was cast, in which none of the elected party heads had won and in a stunning act of revolution, the first anger propagated disunion took place before the world. The Confederate Empire was disbanded and was no more, its lifespan being only a few months.

In effect, this caused agitation between the empires. Before this it was a very simple matter, and one that did not cause any turbulence, to ask for help, or to discuss possible trade scenarios. But since the empires had disbanded, the sense of unity that once mingled in their thoughts were disturbed, some more so than others to a dangerous degree. The Confederate Empire was viewed as a proud signal, a milestone, in the development of the perfect world. The decision to break that unity was a very unfortunate decision by which many were split on the idea of just destroying such an endeavor that cost so much, and yet produced no fruit. There were signs in the air that a conflict could arise at any time. One only needed to allow the breeze to touch the hairs on the back of their necks to see how cold it truly was.

To relinquish this feeling, and to further strengthen the courage of his people, Fire Lord Solzen declared a will, in which he ensured, that unless someone or some empire had intentionally attacked the lands he was meant to protect, he would not lay siege to any other empire. He would continue to promote peace and prosperity. In doing so, it seemed that danger was not so much of an issue anymore, and further, it did calm down that torrent of tense feeling that stretched taut the faces of the influential leaders that could, at any point, initiate a so called defensive preemptive strike.

Fire Lord Solzen's Will became more than just a written proposal that concerned his own people, it was a prominent declaration among many of the empires. With many of the empires noticing the benefits of such a will, many had initiated their own, in accordance with the Fire Lord, thus agitations among the opposing empires were slim, however not entirely gone. With the driven ideal of harmony, peace was still a prospect that many of the leaders valued, and any conflicts that did arise were more to do with discrimination and trade disputes, but these were only the lesser of the problems yet to come.

The Southern Air Nomadic temple, the housing of Avatar Aang's training regime, had on one occasion, necessitated the help of the extremely powerful forces employed by the Fire Lord. They were an amazing asset to the world, consisting of archers, engineers, architects, infantrymen, battle equipment pilots, and further military personnel. The Southern Air Nomads required the assistance of Fire Lord Solzen to help ward off an impending battle between the Earth Kingdom and Air Nomads, and to help detract the now invading Earth Kingdom military fleet, whose influence for the attack was based on the fact that the Nomads would not allow a bison colony to help a group of Earth Kingdom rescue workers over the mountains, rather than going around. As a result, the ship load of travelers, with which the rescue workers tried to help, had been lost in the sea storm, and the Nomads were to pay the consequences. However, the Air Nomads had their own reasons, that were valid as well in not helping. The Air Nomads had the top priority of training Aang, and the temple and all its assets were solely dedicated to the training of junior monks. Any outside influence was forbidden, as declared by the central capital of the Air Nomads, where their residence was beside the Northern Water Tribe, in the Northern Air Temple.

As an obligation in fulfillment of his will to promote peace, which included protecting the very ideals composing the Air Nomads, and since the Avatar resided there, he coupled his forces with ground assault division of the Air Nomads. They were trained monks, that came from the Eastern Air temple, and as such were very powerful warriors. Also Solzen respected their wishes and kept the main assault to the base of the mountain. Solzen however was reluctant in attacking his own ally, and had sent several warnings to the Earth Kingdom King, to detract the impending fleet. However, to his dismay, they did not regress, and so proceeding forward, the fleet was decimated. Fire Lord Solzen, and the representative of the Air Nomads, Monk Gyatso, had personally apologized for the attack, and presented their case, to which it was well accepted, or so they thought.

Avatar Aang was allowed into every country in the world, due to the fact that he was the Avatar. Since no stranger was allowed into of the premises of the Southern Air temple, it was seen as best that he go throughout the world to learn the bending arts. Further, his training to master the 4 elements depended on the fact that he had to go to the country that had the training platforms, to effectively maximize his skills. This was how Aang had known the infamous Bumi of the Earth Kingdom, the nonchalant Kuzon of the Fire Nation, and Bunbun, the funniest Water Tribe member in history. Unfortunately, these ties were somewhat strained due to the rising tension that now circulated the various ambassador halls. He was 10 years old now. Aang had seen Kuzon a lot during these times, though, since he was taken with the Air Nomad representatives to the Fire Nation Meeting Halls. Pulling pranks and massively exhausting their energy in figuring out countless ways of both throwing cake at the monks, and shaving the generals faces, their friendship was truly strong.

A few months into the delegations, the unexpected happened. Fire Lord Solzen was in a meeting with the Earth Kingdom leader to discuss probable methods of transportation and repayment of their lost fleet and at the time the meetings ran smoothly. Well that was until one drastic occurrence had changed the face of the planet.

"_Armageddon began to rain down on the sky, and blew down onto the earth. It harassed, with unwieldy power, one of the most beautiful and most plentiful lands of the Fire Nation, the island where the temple was erected. Casting down its wrath on the land, the dirt and soil turned into ash and air. The valley of the land disappeared, eternally burying the lives of those that lived there, in flames. The basin lost its integrity and pummeled underneath its own weight, sinking to the bottom of the sea. That island, fully populated with thousands of citizens, that island, so plentiful in harvests, that island, so integral to the survival of the empire, was battered, beaten and killed before the very eyes of the Fire Lord. The lives of the nation were taken before his very eyes..."_

**-Fire Sage Zaboa**

Many of the people that did witness the hailstorm, were living behind the Mountain of Fire, the temple's foundation. Since the volcano of that island, whose constant outflow of magma were being cooled by the seas to create newer land masses, was, in essence, the very source of the island, its elevation was extremely high. All other land sites were lower than it, and since its original outflow was curved like a moon, with the predominance of the magma flowing into the inner edge of the moon shape, the mountainous inner edge of the volcano, the side that looked towards the center of the island, was a natural barrier that protected the people there.

However, what they saw scared them to their very bones, and even though the foundation, upon which the Fire Nation was built, had protected them, they would have rather died, than actually seeing the carnage wrought from the onslaught brought from the heavens above. From the distance past the horizon, were a multitude of giant 'beasts', their smoke trail hidden behind the edges of the ocean, and they were transcending the ever lasting body of water, flying high over its surface to finally bury themselves into the lands. The island, had changed its form completely. Once upon a time being one of the largest islands in existence, it had a bite taken out of its design, its form crumbled to nothing more than a hole. The island took on the form of the crescent moon, and this image was further strengthened when the inflow of flood waters ate up the lands behind the mountain, and was thus named as it is known today, "Crescent Moon Isle."

Solzen, when finally the situation sunk into his torn soul, and when his thought process was as stable as possible, had sent out a patrol fleet to follow the trail. It was a large trail, and it seemed that instead of the trails shooting through the clouds to look like it came from the gates of heaven, it seemed to traverse the waters continuously, which was odd to the coastal patrol deployment. At first one could tell it transversed the waters, but would conclude that ultimately it came from above the clouds. Instead, the ship traveled for 3 days, following the trail that never seemed to end. However, when it did end, they were astonished.

Instead of just turning back the ship and relaying their discovery to the Fire Lord personally, the sense of emergency that tensed the air with its strong presence showed the patrolling fleet that time was of the essence. Immediately, a messenger hawk was thrown into the air and had flown back to the Fire Lord. The message within, would begin the day when the Sun burnt up that beautiful and peaceful paradise that the world thought they had stumbled upon, all those years ago.

**_Message (DT HQ)_**  
**Urgent Report - _Patrol_**

"_Trail of beast lies over ocean!  
Deduction from girth of path.  
Smoke came from 'behind'  
or 'from' mountain tops of Eastern Shoreline.  
The Cave of Badger Moles is burning!_

_SEND WORD!  
The Earth Kingdom has attacked the Fire Nation!"_

Devastated and distraught, he did not know that the Earth Kingdom would pull out such a drastic measure as a result of the defensive purposes of the Fire Nation. Even though there was no right for the Fire Lord to interfere with the disputes of the Air Nomads and Earth Kingdom, it was his duty and the duty of all leaders to protect the Avatar at all costs, and so his help was of an obligation, and one that warranted his right to help the Air Nomads. At this time, Solzen became very unstable. Thousands of his citizens were killed, and he thought it was his own fault.

For so long the Earth Kingdom had set up a front acting like the entire situation was alright, and even despite their feelings of apparent forgiveness and forgetfulness, the Fire Lord, and Air Nomadic representatives insisted on helping them. But because of their front, the Fire Nation became a vulnerable target. Solzen was convinced, by his advisers, that the attack was not one of revenge, but of an action that targeted his peace loving ideals.

The Fire Lord, driven by his passion to avenge those deaths, and of protecting the will that he created, had declared war on the Earth Kingdom, yet the fighting was far from happening. It was strange though. When the Fire Lord's anger had risen to above a controllable state, it seemed the spirits above had heard his cries. There were several visions of a dragon that circled the space beyond the skies, one of which that had an immensely dangerous power that radiated from every one of its scales, and one of so much pure energy that those that could bend the raw energy of fire would then be strengthened, and could harness the power given off by the beast. It always jumped through many of the constellations and weaved around many of the stars. The sages, convinced that it was a signal from the heavens, a saving grace against their opposer's, convinced the Fire Lord to wait for its pass.

The day it did make its pass, the Fire Lord had summoned a preemptive strike, a blitzkrieg or sorts, and then deployed the vast navy of the Fire Nation. On board the thousands of ships, were the soldiers that carried the white skull face plates, and within their minds, were the images of women, and children, of men, and the old, screaming in pain from the fierce heat that consumed and killed them, the fierce heat, that at once upon a time, they were able to bare. The Earth Kingdom had gone too far...

Unfortunately, nothing could stop this. "_For when the world needed him the most he vanished."_ Avatar Aang had dissappeared at the young and joyous age of 12...

Peace had come to an end, and justice, or the perversion of its form, took its place. That beautiful land of peace that the world had once upon a time stumbled upon, was now completely burnt, transformed into a barren _desert_. **The 100 year war had begun...**

* * *

No one knew, _exactly_, the reason why the island was targeted, nor would anyone know about the inner workings of what was really going on. Everything was based on assumptions and unlike the Great War, there would be no Avatar to prevent the ensuing destruction. Prince Zuko was not one to question history, but something just didn't sit right with him. However, he would have to ponder on his questions later. Right now, he had two things to accomplish. One was to hide the library documents he stole from the Sage's Library before his mother caught him, and two, not let his mother catch him. After all, being wide awake, in the middle of the night, the night before training was not a good idea, and his mother would make sure of that if she found out that he was still under the candlelight, immersed in history.

* * *

**Post - - A/N 1:** _There are a few things you should notice. For one, the dragon is Solzen's comet, and the beasts with the trails are actually asteroids (or are they...?). Now I know that maybe some of the details here can cause some confusion, but remember that where ever this story does not match a certain detail that's in the series, it was made so intentionally. However, even though I say this, please, if there is some thing wrong, just say it, and I'll address it. The mistake may be what I wanted to do, or maybe it was really a mistake. _

**Post - - A/N 2: **_By the way, Elenea mentioned that there was a spelling mistake in 'Prince' and 'Gyatso', in this chapter...GREAT CATCH, seriously _(!)_, I missed that, even reading through that 3 times! So, I edited and replaced the chapter. By the way, if there is any odd formatting that seems out of place with what I'm using, don't blame me. I've posted this chapter up 6 times, and I'm tired of doing it again. Hopefully this is the last time it goes up._

**Post - - A/N 3: **_I originally had a music idea. Well it goes like this. Every chapter has a song for it. That song is usually a movie theme or trailer theme. So that's the deal, and I'll tell you what it is whenever I think its appropriate. For now, the best song for most of the chapter is, "11 – Corynorhinus" by Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard for the Batman Begins Soundtrack. But most importantly, its not the fact that you listen to these songs while you read the story, that make it amazing, but that you read the story with the songs that you think that fit, and that you like._

**Post - - A/N 4: **_Most importantly how was the story so far? I put a lot (A LOT) of hours into writing the first chapter and was hoping that many of you would be happy with it._


	2. Recollected Histories

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "**_Avatar: The Last Airbender"_**, but I do own the storyline for this story and all elements that are not within the official realm of the funded story done by Nickelodean. I also don't own the first article about the statements in the _Nuremberg trials._

**Pre - - A/N 1: **_First, and definitely FOREMOST, I deeply thank you Elenea and Cookie for reviewing my story. Your insights into what I have written has not only pushed me to keep writing, but your comments are like trophies for me! Thank you both SO VERY MUCH! As I said, it is much appreciated!_

**Pre - - A/N 2:** _Okay, funny thing is, is that this chapter is even heavier than the last! Hilarious, no? No, didn't think so. Heheh, but this chapter has a lot of time devoted into it, since it does have very important elements in it. Now, I just need to let you know something, this one is longer than the last. I would cut the chapter in half, but then the flow and the final message of it might not come out so well. So, if its a pain, I'm sorry. Again, the library document, and articles as well as the content within that you read here, they are just fiction that I made up to help with the story, with a great influence, obviously, coming from the series. _

**Pre - - A/N 3: **_You may be wondering, why so long to update? Well, with work and a huge number of family gatherings, things start to get in the way of me writing the story. Add to that, I had to make a separate file to describe EVERYTHING in the first chapter. That's EVERYTHING that happens in the first chapter. Just to let you have a hint, what you read is shallower in detail than you think... (oh and refer to Post - - A/N 2)!_

**Pre - - A/N 4: **_Most importantly, hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

"**_Powerful Benders"_**

**--II--**

_"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." _

- Herman Goering _at the Nuremberg trials_

**--Chapter 2:** _Recollected Histories--_

Solzen's reign wouldn't last that much longer after the war started. However his successor was training intently, and was determined to pull through to become as great as his father was. About 5 years after the war began, Solzen's will, formally known as the 'Will', was modified to account for the now enraging war that included the forces of earth and fire. Solzen's Will, as it was in the beginning, and even now years after the changes, was still a very powerful document that nurtured courage and hope, and was one that truly tried to stabilize the foundations that made the Fire Nation what it was known for.

The Fire Nation's government was that of a martial law, in that it was the military that controlled society. Every child of the Fire Nation had to be an integral part of the vast expanses that composed the military, and they were to do it unconditionally. The society was disciplined, respectful and their mannerisms were known worldwide for their unbelievably curt and polite execution. There was no stain on the Fire Nation's records, they were only known to be the the 'bringer of bad news', the 'bearer of the hard truths', and they were direct and to the point, like a flame directed along a fuse line.

However, unconditional acceptance of the way society ran and the demands of the government, were not very hard concepts to press upon the people. Free speech was allowed, and when disagreements went out of hand, an Agni Kai, a 2 person combat exercise to prove, physically, who was correct, and who was of higher authority, could be engaged in. There were rights issued to every citizen, and any outbursts against it could always to argued with no consequence and the rules of society could be questioned with no drastic side effects. The Fire Nation used a certain philosophy, "_To question ones faith is to strengthen ones beliefs," _as a guide as to how disagreements could be handled and in this way, all citizens would never feel insecure. The last thing such a powerful empire would want during a full-scale war, is to have an unraveling community destroying the empire from the inside out. With the way society ran, the rules running it became easier to understand and accept.

However, to further strengthen these ideals visualized by the Fire Nation, the Will was a very important key in attaining that resolution. As such, the Will was a document taught throughout all the educational institutes throughout the Fire Nation and was an oath that soldiers were forced to swear by. However, not many of the citizens were as educated as the Fire Lord himself was, and interpretations of that Will became a common practice. So common it was that an official assistant understanding manuscript, a professional and unbiased interpretation, started to be handed out along with the original document to, as the title stated, to assist those studying the concepts of the Will. But when many of the distributors discovered that it was the interpretations that were being read instead of the writings composing the Will, copies of the Will stopped circulating. All homes were then searched and those copies that remained in the community were taken back. This left no document with the contents of the Will, with any of the citizens, nor with any of the distributors themselves. Strange as it was, shortly after all the documents were rounded up, the copies were burnt and discarded. This was done a year after the Will was modified.

Around 6 months later another strange event had occurred. The original document of the Will, that which was signed and sealed in blood by the Fire Lord's hands themselves, which was posted in the Gallery of Independence and under heavy guard, had vanished. The article, being of great importance, had prompted Fire Lord Solzen to initiate his own special investigation division to try and recover it, with the campaign starting a week after the incident. But, by the time the division had turned up one solid clue, 1 month later, Fire Lord Solzen had passed away.

Fire Lord Solzen had died from a 'charred heart,' a rare self-induced, or outer influenced, passive organ rupture spasm. To plainly describe it, his heart had burnt itself, without his direct control, and one that was propagated due to his own body's ability to bend fire. 'Charred' organ spasms were incredibly rare, and had occurred only 25 times in the last 10000 years. So rare was the condition that it was ruled out as a passed down trait. His body was analyzed for any signs of an external influence but none was found, and it was accepted that nature had taken its toll on the brave man. Instability in his emotions, and the vast myriad that he suffered from had destroyed the proper workings of his body, and his soul passed on to the spirit world. Fire Lord Solzen's body was, like the Avatar's, dressed in beautiful robes, with his hands placed peacefully atop one another in a gesture of happiness, and was sealed within the burial grounds of the temple, during a very mournful and powerful funeral procession. His casket was carried by his 2 extremely loyal, and at the time broken, sons and several of his generals, his closest friends, his friends of war. The procession of the soldiers was magnificent, and it was a true tribute to a worthy man. The followers of mourners rivaled that of the late Avatar and he, like the many of the rulers before him, was buried beside his forefathers, and as an honor to his work in trying to promote peace, a cease fire was declared by the Earth Kingdom themselves. Fire Lord Solzen had died, at the age of 40, 6 years and 7 months into the war.

Soon after, due to the temporary ruling party head, the battles raged forth and the war continued once again, but before the investigation continued, and ironically, before the clue could be followed up on, the investigation was canceled. It was an order forced to be followed, and one issued by the Head Sage Magistrate himself, Sage Zubuum. When Fire Lord Solzen had passed away, his son Prince Sazora, after a period of grievance, had started to prepare to take on the title as the Fire Lord. During this time of preparation, authority of the state was given to the Head Sage Magistrate, and Zubuum took the title of leader until such time Saroza was inaugurated. Sage Zubuum, then, had full authority over the war efforts and the investigation, and his decision to cancel the search came about as abrupt. Even more strange was his apparent conclusion that the document must have been destroyed along with the others and that valuable resources were being wasted in trying to find it.

What most conspirators, about this topic, noted was what the clue, in the investigation, concerned. It was related to the channeling of vital data within the internal office of the state. Apparently, confidential files were being leaked via a tab mole within the office, and finances and resources, that at first were marked as 'LOST,' were now turning up in strange places. Further, it seemed that unregistered clean up crews, who were legitimate, but still unregistered, were in contact with the Will. However, before any of the details were explored, the investigation died, and the rest was left to question. The Will had apparently disappeared completely.

Without a will to help run the Fire Nation, the key component in strengthening the ideals of the government, was lost. As such, the sages, and all generals had decided to accurately piece back together the original document, the original words of the Will. After countless interviews with advisers, close friends and family, and a very thorough study of the history of Fire Lord Solzen's brave and courageous exploits, his thought profile was accurately assembled. With this, several biographers, and the vast number of interpretations at hand, his Will was reconstructed, and by the signatures of all of those involved, deemed accurate, and almost identical to the original Will. Indeed the Will was well accepted, and society was, at large, very happy that such an awe-inspiring work of art, and of great thought, was still in existence.

Soon after his death, Fire Prince Sazora was inaugurated, and had become the Fire Lord. Fire Lord Sazora was a one of a kind leader. As a child, he was ridiculed for his inability to properly bend fire. In most cases, he had burnt the very same limb that ejected the flame, by direct contact with the flames, like his own palms during a palm-thrust maneuver. The occurrence of this situation was rare and hard to come by, both intentionally and accidentally, even by the inexperienced. It was technically impossible for it to happen, unless the user's most basic understanding of fire bending principles were beyond sub-par. The reason he was singled out as an idiot, was because of this.

Basic fire bending principles were facts that were readily observable when studying the nature of the flame, so in most cases, training in these principles were deemed unnecessary, and the results were considered too obvious to be of any use. It was like challenging the fact that in broad daylight, one could see one's own hand.

But yet, such simple concepts, Sazora had never understood, or so others had speculated. In reality, it wasn't so much that he didn't understand, as it was that he had a hard time believing all he was told. Sazora, in fact, was a genius, blessed with amazingly efficient analytical skills. Unlike his classmates, who progressed through the training without a hitch, Sazora was always lagging behind, taking extra care in studying how and why fire was the way it was. Why was it that it always rose up? Why, under certain circumstances, did a teacher produce a bright yellow flame, when students could only produce dark red? He had never found the answers he was looking for when he asked someone, either. By himself, he was able to come up with theories as to why these things were the way they were. But to see if the theories were correct, he would have to test them. And so he did, during training classes, ultimately burning his own limbs, all because he questioned the most basic principles. And that was why he was labeled as an idiot. But in doing so, he was always able to modify the theory.

When he was around 11 years old, he continued to expand his vast knowledge considerably, and had finally came up with the proper thought processes required to bend fire efficiently. What he had discovered, by himself, was beyond the level of even the Sages of that time, and were on par with what Sages could achieve now. His logic of fire was beyond his own teachers. In essence, as a child, he was looking for the short cut that would lead to this final gain.

Initial bending training would always use basic, understandable concepts to strengthen the foundations of fire bending for the early learners. As the learners grew up, they would come to know that these concepts were wrong, and were only used to help settle their young questioning minds. Then a lesson was given on the true nature, but it would be very shallow. Finally at the stages of being a teacher, or a true bender themselves, they had to undertake the advanced lessons to learn the full truth. This process took almost 18 years. Sazora learned all that by 11, all because he took a more tedious and more complicated shortcut, which not only strengthened his skills, but had made him an extraordinarily powerful bender.

Sazora had, under the permission of this father, been taken out of the institution, after having demonstrated his enormous skill in a sparring match against him. Though he did lose, it was only because his father was a better hand-to-hand combatant. Fire Lord Solzen had seen his potential, and had advocated that he train by himself from then on. Ironically, the same time that Solzen didn't have to worry about one of his sons, he had something else to keep him beyond occupied. The war had begun when Sazora was 12 years old. In the years following, he developed such advanced techniques, that books were written to keep intact his discoveries, with all the documentation stored in the Gallery of Independence. Years later, Sozora's analytical skills were hiking to new levels, being motivated both by his determination to be able to accept his father's place on the throne, and because of the ensuing war. He had been there to help his father and his brother during the military meetings, earning him the honor of being one of the greatest advisers in Fire Nation history, and was instrumental in the development and modification of some of the modern body armor used in the Fire Nation.

Sazora's brother, Eraho, was a year younger. Eraho, was a bit different than his older brother. For one, he never questioned authority, unlike his brother, but had just followed the rules, but like his brother he was truly a genius. He trained countless hours, and had studied and practiced bending art forms many times a week. He was so dedicated and his will power so unbreakable, that in class he had excelled, and jumped levels that his older brother still lagged behind on. Never one to leave a man behind, he continuously tried to help his brother, but Sazora would recline, yet never once was he ungrateful. Their brotherhood was strong, and would remain so forevermore. When Eraho hit 10, he had graduated from the academy, and had become the youngest captain in the history of the military of the Fire Nation. The war had begun at this time, and his skills were being put to good use. In addition to being an adviser alongside his brother, to their father, he was an escort for his father when running head on into the tides of battle. Eraho's first engagement was at the age of 13, and his skills were proven to be invaluable. Surviving countless ordeals, and never leaving a fellow soldier behind, he started to rise above the ranks.

Sazora and Eraho, were 2 grateful children who diligently served their father throughout all circumstances. When Fire Lord Solzen had died, Sazora was 18, and Eraho was 17 and in the midst of their loss, they found strength in the knowledge that their brotherhood was still as strong as it was years before. At the ceremony of the inauguration, Sazora was titled as the Fire Lord, and his brother attained the rank of 1st Prime Marshal, an elite that was second to the title of the Fire Lord. As sons of the Fire Lord, they had a duty to carry out the Will declared by their father and though it did seem that this 'Will' was not in character of their father, nor did it exactly elaborate on what he had proposed, it was signed by a large military council that had a psychological profile of their father. Unable to defy nor testify against this new rendition, issued by this council, they were forced to believe that the Will was identical to that of what their father intended.

With heavy hearts, but with strong determination, they ran the war to a new level. According to the advisers, the interpretations of this Will were identical, and indeed it was, however, certain words had double meanings, and in the eyes of the unknowing, it could be interpreted in a few different ways. However, when it came down to it, they were to subjugate the entirety of the Earth Kingdom. They were to break their spirits, impale their hearts, bring them to their knees, and after torturing the battered form of the once glorious Earth Kingdom, were to faction them into an entity corresponding to one of their own. So said the Will, and unconditionally they valiantly followed through with it.

Fire Lord Sazora had gotten married to a charming, righteous, courageous and loving Fire Nation civilian. Though not of royalty, she had won his heart, as proven when on countless occasions he would sneak away just to be with her. Sazora and Erah married at the age of 20, and 18 respectively. Erah gave birth, at the age of 22, to a single child, whom she named Saze. Such was the legacy that continued after Fire Lord Sazora. Eraho, had gotten married as well, at the age 19, to lady Kira, age 18. Lady Kira, as her title suggested was royalty and was related to one of the sages. They had 3 daughters, and in addition, Eraho had an orphaned student, Ejah, who lived with them during his many days of training. Ejah and Saze were the best of friends and little did anyone know that their lineage would soon merge.

By now, the Earth Kingdom was under heavy siege. Since wars and outbreaks of battles were very rare before this explosion of events, battlefield technology was not as advanced as they used to be. Relying on intuition and documentation of past battles, the fights raged forth. The Earth Kingdom did enlist the help of the Air Nomads, and the Water Tribe, but as it was 10000 years ago, they regressed the proposition, preferring to stay neutral throughout this entire ordeal. However, in just the next few years, never would the Air Nomads have known how beneficial it would have been to just help.

* * *

_**Historical Document Library 3: Section 34  
- Heroes of War**  
The 2nd Fire Lord of the 2nd Engagement _

_The war was now something far worse than its original intention, with the eastern shoreline, once again, becoming the battlefield it once was all those years ago. The Earth Kingdom was, at the moment, at a stalemate against the Fire Nation navy, and history seemed to be repeating itself. At first being composed of steel and wooden boats, some with sails, and others with outdated coal burning engines, the Fire Nation ships trudged through the waters, carrying menial forms of long range attack equipment, including the famed catapult. However the use of the catapult against the now advanced form of earth bending, proved to be of no use. _

_That was until efforts were placed into the redesign of the military equipment. Years into the war, Sazora had noticed that at the rate at which they proceeded, though they were upholding a truly worth while fight, they would soon be on the brink of eradication unless changes to both battle strategies, and resources were implemented, such that the Earth Kingdom would have no more of an advantage than they had against them. _

_The ships were starting to use alloys, with no wood components throughout its design. Catapults had advanced locking and equipping mechanisms to outdo the fire rate of any earth bender. Add to that, the catapults were starting to be able to support massive artillery shells, steel balls with an outer burning exo-frame with an exploding core. These shells were overwhelmingly large and so were the catapults used to hurl them. The largest ships of the Fire Nation navy sported these behemoths of a weapon. Standing at over 20 cubits tall, and weighing almost as much 1128 fully armored Fire Nation soldiers, these titans were excruciatingly menacing, and had the brawn to prove their demeanor. _

_The smaller ships relied on smaller versions of the giant weapon. They hurled oil soaked, exploding rocks. Though not as damaging as the giant, they were indeed effective in extracting a large of amount practical usage from a device that had just been victimized by one. The rocks were composed of thousands of different materials, and so being nonuniform in nature were unable to be properly bended. When Fire Lord Sazora was 25, the Earth Kingdom had truly met their match._

_Upon further advances, the Fire Nation started to attain a greater advantage in water. All the soldiers were trained to swim and execute underwater operations, and were therefore able to place signals on the beach heads for the Fire Nation to preemptively attack, before the Earth Kingdom could have a chance to stop them. The Earth Kingdom was suffering heavy losses, and their end was seemingly visible against the glare of the sun that burned before them. _

_Once upon a time, they had used to recover under the shade of trees. But ever since the eastern shoreline became the battlefield, all forms of life had retreated to the depths of the ground. The eastern shoreline was now just a beaten path that man hat littered their idealistic and shallow views upon. All had seemed lost. However, at the climax of their depression, the battlefield general of the Earth Kingdom, stationed at the eastern shoreline, was said to be smirking as soon as his tired head suddenly lifted from his knees as realization dawned on him. _

_Rumor had it that while resting his aching head against his knees, a swarm of fire ants had come out of hiding upon smelling the fresh scent of fruits that came from the supply lines. There were so many, that he promptly turned his head to the side to view them as they closed in on his meal. In mock anger, he raised his hand, lifting up a thin flat plate composed of earth, compressed it to retain a hard form, and subsequently collapsed it on the swarm of ants. _

_Laughing at what he saw, it was said that he joked to his companions about how it must have felt like to be that ant. As an ant it must have been so menacing to see a large flat plate rise above them as they stubbornly moved forward. Their hunger must have been enough to drive them even through the apparent danger, only to be crushed by the awesome power for which they could not resist. It was like collapsing a mountain on top a whole fleet of troops...or on top of a navy..._

_That single moment, intended to be a joke, intended to relieve the tensions in the air, was what caused him to raise his head into the air. _

_-_

_The history told henceforth is generated from a recollection of memories of the Great Fire Lord Sazora. It is supported and signed by his wife, and his brother. To note, as brethren of great honor, their nature, as is ours, is not to boast or over exaggerate the achievements of any bender of fire. Further, it is an insult to exaggerate upon the heroism of this great lord, as then many of his achievements can then be turned into fiction. _

_--In the military board room, a subdivision of the the entire military property block that was stationed off of Crescent Moon Isle, on the interior of the Fire Land Islands, a meeting between contented officials was taking place.-- _

"_My lord!" Screamed the adviser, as he burst through the iron doors._

"_What is it, Zaro?" Inquired the Fire Lord. His tone was patient, but a sense of urgency was written into it. There was never time to waste and so his speech was hurried, yet authoritative. He continued "Your input is invaluable to us, but at the moment, we are preoccupied with the frontal assault."_

"_My lord, you don't understand! There is no time for follow-ups, but please, heed my warnings! The Earth Kingdom has come up with a tactical initiative to entirely wipe out the acting navy engaging the eastern shoreline!" exhaled Zaro, a trusted combat adviser._

_Eraho had jumped in before Sazora could respond, "Strategically speaking, that is an impossibility. We have all their escape routes blocked off. The only way for any contingency force to intercept our fleet before we effectively deal our hit, is if they route themselves through those passages." Eraho, seemed to be more authoritative than his brother. Standing at over a foot taller than him, and with such strength supporting his design, he was truly a great man, but one that always subdued to the will of his much more powerful brother, but only out of respect. _

"_Brother wait. Zaro continue on with the details..."_

"_Bless you my lord! It is an honor to-"_

"_I'm sorry Zaro, but there isn't any time for formalities." Interrupted Sazora._

"_My lord, again, from physical contacts, the Earth Kingdom has initiated a plan to wipe out our navy, and it is to happen in 3 days! They intend to deal a lethal blow against us, and not from an external force coming from any of the said blocked off passages!" This he said, looking into the eyes of the Fire Lord's brother. "All of them...and I mean all of the earth benders, have already been stationed on the beach head, and when in formation, in one motion, they will make rise a mountain before our fleet! A mountain! They can do it, my lord! I have seen their skill, and together their actions are wondrous! And with that mountain, a strong enough force can collapse it into the water, onto our navy!"_

_The Fire Lord looked towards his brother, "As Zaro has said, there is no time for follow-ups, so we must proceed with a plan. Assuming this isn't a facade." He looked around his table. Currently sitting around a large wooden display map, were his trusted military officials and advisers. Their eyes were dark and concentrating, and their uniform heartbeats almost seemed to create a tangible reverberation in the steel walls that surrounded them._

"_There are a few options in mind. My opinion...we retreat what fleet we can, and spare the others in case the initiative is a bluff." said one of the generals, among the myriad present. A few of the generals had a very calm demeanor. However for the rest of them, wiping out an entire fleet with one blow, despite the sacrifices the enemy must have gone through to do this, was something incomprehensible, especially due to the fact that the Fire Nation navy was the pinnacle of their war efforts and was the key element in heading all the battles._

"_And by spare, you mean intentionally placing our spearhead in mortal danger, in case the initiative isn't a bluff, correct?" reacted another general._

"_We can't do that. First of all, sacrifices at this time are uncalled for. We have an upper advantage, and must make sure we keep it that way! I suggest-"_

"_You don't suggest! The damn fleet is in line with an enemy attack plan, and we have no time to pull back. My lord, there is no other way, we must pull back the rear fleet and, yes, sacrifice the spearhead!", this was said by one of the generals who jumped out of his seat, when he realized there weren't any other options._

"_Understand..." said the Fire Lord slowly, "...that the entirety of the military is composed of brothers and sisters working towards a cause to bring justice into this world, and they are motivated through unconditional love for this empire..." Paused the Fire Lord, and then he continued slowly increasing both the tempo and the volume of his words. "...I will not have a single man fall behind in any circumstance if the situation can be avoided!"_

"_My lord there isn't-"_

"_There is. Yes...there is. If the navy must be caught between the 2 options, to either sacrifice the frontal assault division and collect the remainder, or die altogether, the latter would be of more honor. But in this dire circumstance, I understand that the most viable option is the first...but I have a 3rd option." The Fire Lord turned his back to them and proceeded to walk out of the board room. _

_Before exiting he made his final statements. "As soldiers of the Fire Nation, never once should you sacrifice your own without first considering sacrificing yourself. Eraho, by the dead of night tomorrow, I will proceed to the front lines to deal with the situation directly. You will now be the acting Fire Lord, till my return..."_

_The Fire Lord exited the room. Turning into the corridor he went into his sleeping chambers. His face was riddled with signs of pain. He would lose so much. His wife, his son, his brother and their family. He would lose all his hard work. "...that is, if I return." he concluded to himself. But, he would lose them all, only because he would save the lives of all those that he loved. That was true honor, and that lifted his spirits a bit. _

"_I heard that." His wife said sarcastically, but only for the moment. Her immediate demeanor had then become sad again. There she was, fully clothed in royal attire, sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at a painting of their family. _

"_Erah! You're supposed to be at home, with our son. Why-" Erah walked up to her husband and looked deep into his eyes._

"_I left him with Kira. I departed the palace a few hours ago because of a feeling. A feeling of what fate has in store for us." She started to break down in front of him. "My heart is telling me that you're about to..." _

_Sazora walked up to her and placed his hands on the sides of her shoulders. She looked into his eyes, and the smile across his face caused her to rush in towards him. A strong embrace encircled her, and it seemed that whatever protection those arms could ever offer her were going to be taken away from her. "I have the will to do so, and for our Nation I must carry it out."_

_Trying to be as strong as her soul would permit, she struggled to convey her feelings to her beloved husband. "So, you'd leave us alone? How can Saze take the throne if he isn't yet trained by his own father? How can he-"_

"_Honey, my brother and his family will take care of you both. Saze will not be of age to take the throne. I have entrusted that field to Eraho. I know him well, and without a doubt, he will train Saze relentlessly and will give the throne to our son. There is no doubt in my heart about it."_

"_I will train my nephew, yes. But you cannot leave me without a final goodbye." stood his brawny, cross armed, younger brother, as he leaned in against the door. _

"_Eraho, the situation is dire, so you know what must be done."_

"_Without a doubt! But, again, I'm not going to proceed without a final goodbye."_

_Erah broke off from her husband, and let him pass her by to go see his brother off. Sazora readied himself for a handshake. Eraho looked down upon it, and stared back at his brother. Smirking he grabbed a hold of his hand and pulled him towards him, crushing him in a giant bear hug, and at the same time lifting him off the ground._

"_This is why I never came to you...when father made me cry..." He chocked._

_Eraho, dropped his brother down, and placed a hand behind his head, chuckling. "You decide to mention that before your grand finale, huh?"_

"_No better time."_

"_Sazora, as your younger brother, I will try and become the ruler that you once were, and as you have believed in me, I believe in you. I will carry out your decree. Your son will be powerful, and he will be just. The throne will be his, whether he is ready or not, 10 years from now. It will be a commemoration marked by a decade of loss. Your dynasty will continue. I swear it!" Thumping his hard fist against his chest as a sign of strength behind everyone of his words, he concluded, but not before counting the number of times he said 'will' in his heroic statments._

_Sazora tapped his brothers shoulder, left his side, and looked upon his wife. "I will forever love you. If the spirits allow, I'll be waiting for you in the otherworld. So please, for my sake, be happy...,"Erah neared her husband while Saroza started to slow down in speech, both of them forgetting the company in the room, specifically Eraho. In addition the room did get a little hotter. _

_Eraho, turned around just in time. Tugging at his collar and releasing the build up of steam inside this tunic, under all that body armor, he rushed out of the room, locking the door on his way out, and then ran through the corridors and into the board room, locking those doors too. He had a blush across his face._

"_Woah, why are you blushing! I want to see-" said one of the generals._

"_Nothing to see out there! The doors to this room are locked and...we have a situation at hand!" Eraho struggled to let out. He was still blushing. 'He could have waited till I left...' he sighed._

_The generals reluctantly returned to their seats. It wasn't everyday, that the brother of the Fire Lord blushed. But one look into the sleeping chambers would make even a monk blush. That is as far as the details will allow to go, however. _

_-_

_Erah and Sazora had woken up from bed the next morning. After the 17th hour of the day had passed, her husband would rush off into battle, and by some miracle return, if fate permitted him so. Sazora and Erah had gathered their clothes and what little belongings they had in the chambers, and departed for the palace, which was located a few lands away from where they were._

_Eraho had accompanied them to the palace, and that was where he was secretly inaugurated as the Fire Lord. Hugging his child one last time, Sazora had noticed that the 15th hour had passed. He forced his wife to stay at home, since anymore of her presence would only soften his fiery determination to save his fellow comrades. By the 16th hour, Eraho had assembled, for Sazora, a 5 man assistance team. They would get him to his destination, the eastern shoreline, a travel of about a few days at a regular ships pace, in about 3 hours. Specifically trained to be a fast attack, reconnaissance unit, their travel speed was unheard off. _

_In the 17th hour, Sazora, along with his 5 man crew, departed from docks. Along the harbor lines were the remaining soldiers protecting the Fire Land Islands. They assembled themselves in a single order, standing shoulder to shoulder, with their white skull face plates, and their tough outer armor, each one stood with such pride and such respect for their fellow hero that Sazora could not help but smile. The soldiers were as stiff as boards, their arms as steady as rocks in the saluting position, looking straight ahead. Sazora was indeed proud of his army. They were dedicated beyond what one would consider normal and that all the more fueled his inner courage to fight for them. He saluted as he walked past, the 5 man crew behind him, and his brother beside him. _

_The 5 soldiers assisting the former Fire Lord, were dressed in raven colored clothing, a fitting attire for the operation and a frightening correspondence to their demise, with their hoods and face masks lowered, and their clothing masking their heavy body armor which was underneath. With their baggy tunics, but tight braces rounding their wrists and shins, along with a belt along their waists, they were armed with nothing, nothing but their incredible stamina and endurance for hardships. Other than the onyx colored cape that was draped over his shoulders, with a darker flame emblazoning located at the bottom of it, Sazaro looked no different that his 5 man team, but something stood out from him that the others lacked. Whereas the 5 man team were monotonous in their face tone, Sazaro was a walking candlelight, emflaming the hearts of all those that placed their gaze upon him. Around Sazaro's neck was a beautiful pendant that his wife had given to him. It was a keepsake on her side of the family and as a sign of her undying love for the man with an undying heart, she placed it around his neck._

_Eraho departed, after leaving his brother with what luck he could wish upon him. In the best of situations, Sazora, would die quickly. There were no other options. His mission was indeed suicide. Boarding the ship, the war machine set sail. With the ship taking them to the outer section of main bastions, Sazora could only hope to reach there in maybe 4 days. But with intelligence stating that the attack was to be initiated at day break of the next day, he had to arrive there in just a few hours. Attaining full speed, the ship took off. _

_Heading down to the lower levels, they came to the under-marine carrier room. A bullet shaped silo sat in the middle. Just big enough to fit 6 people, it was a newly designed, recently implemented, propellant based carrier. The crew men helped the 6 into the silo, and upon sealing the hatch, had exited the room. Flooding the bottom level and opening the escape doors, the silo's ballast filled up and lowered the carrier out of the ship. _

_Drifting slowly to the bottom of the ocean, each of the soldiers checked the pressure gauges. At the depth they were at, approximately half of the ballast's water supply would have to turn into steam. Sazora was located in the front of the carrier, ready to heat the nose cone, with 4 of the fire benders stationed beside the projector holes. The 5th soldier was in the rear, ready to control the rudder. Then in began. Working in unison, the projector holes were burned with an inflow of fire from the fists of the soldiers, turning the water into steam, with the steam escaping through the rear port holes when the pressure was high enough, however for now the port holes were sealed up. When the front nose reached the heat level they wanted, the sealant broke, and the port holes blew open, jettisoning the steam out the rear of the carrier. With the nose the temperature it was, water in direct contact with it suddenly evaporated, creating a fine film of steam over the front section of the carrier. Now almost like traveling in a virtual air tunnel within the depths of the water, the carrier headed straight for a nose dive._

_In a stunning act of reflexive motion, the rear soldier pushed the rudder downwards, tilting the tail of the carrier up, throwing the machine into a 'v' shaped travel path. The steam pounded out through the sides as they propelled the carrier at break neck speeds through the waters. In no time at all, the Fire Nation would have its best man in the front lines._

_-_

_What Sazora did not know, was that the plan for the attack was actually shifted for the night, the same night of his arrival. Though the earth benders would need more men to bring about a large enough stone structure to effectively deal a death blow to the navy at this time rather than at day break, when the fleet was closer, it was at this time that the Fire Nation could not depend on fire bending to get them out of the situation they had brought themselves into, not that is was possible anyways to escape. _

_Sazora's solution to the situation he was informed of, was the head behind enemy lines, in the dead of night. Assuming the attack was at day break, he would move into the main pillboxes where the enemy consul resided. When in, he would fully burn out the entire area, taking out all enemy fortresses in one swift sweep of his hands. At the same time, not only would he be attacked, the amount of power he would throw out would ultimately consume what energy was in his body, and there, he would die peacefully in the fires he created. That was his plan to stop the attack. It was simple, direct, and brutal. This was his grand finale._

_With the situation changed, Sazora was guided into an unknowing death trap._

_-_

_In the 23rd hour of the day, the time of mourning would begin. Standing against the backdrop of the night, with the thousands of stars gracing the planet with its beautiful shimmer, and the moon howling out in cries of sorrow, stood the proud navy of the Fire Nation. Thousands of ships were interspersed throughout the waters, and their engines gave off a subtle, ominous glow. They left a wake in their travel across the ocean, and had resounded with a slight grumble as they trudged forth. The soldiers were on the decks ready for invasive maneuvers when the first ship landed. They were mere hours from reaching the eastern shoreline. When the first ship landed, history would be written, or so they thought. Little did they know, that their history had already begun. In the midst of all the insanity of war, there was a resoundingly silent peace as each of the soldiers stared at how marvelously the moon cast its beauty onto the waters below them. _

-

_The earth benders lined themselves along the battered reigns of the mainland, the eastern shoreline. Situated almost a single land away from the tip of the water's edge, with 100 columns and 100 rows, the earth benders stood. They all poised in a defensive stance, their left leg stood forward, and their right at the back. Their backs were straight, and their knees were bent to make their thighs line up with the land they were standing on. Their left arm was stretched out, balled into a fist, and their right arm was held back, ready to be thrown forward and then up into the air, in an action that would raise the lands up. The first group pulled on the land shifting it up, pinching the land together at that point. In the same instant that the first row pulled up their hands fully, the second row took charge. They squeezed the land together even more, pinching it at a greater depth to attain a better height, shoving the first mound up higher. _

_A configuration of earth benders was located at the outskirts of where the mountainous drop plate would rise up. In a row of 25, with 50 bender columns, they plowed holes into the ground, allowing the land to separate at that point and pull closer to the rising mound, giving more earth to bend. _

_As they punched the holes into the ground, scarring the beachhead, the mound was being tightened and shaped by another group of benders, also in a 50 by 25 mass bending formation. They squeezed the rising mound together to an incredible density, while at the same time, making sure its ultimate shape was that of a flat rectangular plate, which would allow it to break at the base. _

_By this time, the 5th line in the 100 by 100 formation, was throwing their right hands into the air. The unison of all the benders was breathtakingly beautiful, as each motion was identical to the those around them. Any ill-form would be easily recognized, but none was seen._

_-_

_The spearhead of the navy was a fleet of 240 ships. The remaining were the rear support, composed of close to another 600 ships. In this case, it was expected that the spearhead would have to be sacrificed to save the entire navy. But no one issued the command to exit. Not for greed, or envy was it that they, the admirals,not issue the command to leave, but only out of pure and unfortunate ignorance. _

_Their eyes turned towards to the shoreline. The low grumbling was becoming quite audible and menacing at the same time. Their only source of light to view the lands before them was the moon. In shock and utter dismay, a large mountain, apparently in their eyes, grew out of the ground in a matter of minutes. Such was the wonder that they stared in awe as it raised itself to the heavens above. Standing so high, it had totally blocked off the moon from even the view of the farther navy ship. Such astonishment wracked their brains that they did not even comprehend the fact that they were the ants that the earth benders were planning on crushing._

"_Oh no..." _

_Those were the first documented words after the initial sight of the monstrosity before them. What was about to transpire was to far exceed whatever damage the earth bending army had every inflicted to any form ever before. Rising and rising, the stars were being cast aside as the behemoth stood before them. It was a giant rock formation, a massive earth bending prodigy of workmanship and of such grand magnitude that utter amazement was an insult to what was there before them. Nervous and frightened, their hope vanished as they realized their impending doom. They could not turn back now, for it was much too late. Many of the soldiers dropped to their knees and hands, thinking of their loved ones before it would all end. _

_-_

_But from behind them, they heard the slicing of water, the whistling of steam, the sounds of their salvation. A cave-out in the water flew toward them. Pushed forth by the steam, the under-marine carrier roared ahead, displacing water around and above it, raising the water into a think cover over it creating the cave-out that soared at the enemy. The silo ripped through the water's surface, the steam stopping instantaneously, as the heat inflow was cut off. Sazora took a punch right at the inside of the nose, igniting, outside of the hull, and in thin air, a giant fireball that quickly dissipated. Stopping at the instant, the silo crashed onto the waters surface, right in the front of the entire Fire Nation navy. _

_The soldiers looked down from the tops of their ships in wonderment. Out from the top hatch came the 5 man team. Fully clad in black, they stepped out, and stood, proudly among their team. They were supposed to stop here to rendezvous with the spearing ship, so that the former Fire Lord could relay the message to the acting commander of the fleet and halt their progress so that he could effectively destroy the enemy consul, and ultimately the project. _

_When the 5 looked ahead, their faces contorted into confusion. Looking down, one of them informed Sazora as he was stepping out of the carrier. This was Sazora's last conversation. And even in their plight, his calm nature played through it all. Never once will he be forgotten from history._

"_There seems to be a problem, sir..." whispered one of the 5, and continued, "...the enemy has switched the battle tactic." _

"_Interesting." He said calmly._

"_Sir, they might be acting now. Our strategy must be converted to a tactical initiative, now!" said another._

_He laid his eyes upon the monument of death that the Earth Kingdom had planned to drop onto his navy. "Well, there does seems to be a change of plans..."_

_-_

_The earth benders looked upon their creation. There it was, a tower so large, that when toppled, it would annihilate all that was strong and powerful in the Fire Nation. The fleet may have been interspersed throughout the waters, but this 'thing' was so massive, that, at first, it would sink the spearhead, and subsequent ships, and, as it dove to the bottom of the ocean, would suck up every ship in its wake, bringing it all down to a place lower than the abyss, a place so dark that not even fire could light up._

"_It is time..." Said the general to his people, his empire, to all the earth benders._

"_Drop their grave stone." Said the leader, quietly._

_At the instant, two badger moles, one on either side of the structure, bended the form of 2 thin plates composed purely of compressed sand. It was so compressed and under such pressure, that it became transparent in view, and when it was thrown towards the weak point, located at the base, it sliced right through._

_-_

_From the distance, came the sound of rocks crumbling and shattering, as small chips of sediment burst from the base of the structure. As it was falling forward, ready to crush the navy, like the rock that was dropped onto the swarm of ants, it caused the ground to scream out in pain. Rocks were exploding now as the full weight took its toll, and the monster came crashing down. A beast weighing as much as the navy itself would soon be its downfall._

_The former Fire Lord, looked ahead. The sirens of the ships were shouting now, and warning trumpets were being blown. His cape flickered violently behind him, as the behemoth was falling, displacing all the air around it. Sazora knew what was going to happen._

"_I will sacrifice my life, and my life only, as I have planned." he said to his team. _

_His shoulders were strong, his stance powerful. The 5 behind him, stood strong and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked at each one of them and smiled. Looking forward once more, his eye brows furrowed, and his eyelids closed. _

"_Stand back..."_

_'For my empire, for my Nation, for my comrades, for my family, for my child, and for my wife, I bethroth the last of my energy and my life to the spirit world, in the endeavor to save my people.'_

_Holding his hands out in front of him and keeping his legs apart and bent , he clasped his hands over each other, intertwining his fingers, but he kept his fingers outstretched. From between the 'v' form of his fingers came a flash of heat. The air in that region started to waver, as it blurred whatever image could be seen through it, because of the forming heat wave. Embers started to fly out from his fingers and disappear into the cold night air._

_Sucking in as much air as he could from around him, he started to exhale all the air out of his lungs through his tightly pursed lips, inflating his cheeks, but at the same time, making sure that the air channel went through the 'v'. That's when all his training, all his hard work as a child had finally paid off. His ingeniousness in discovering the true potential of fire bending as child was going to show itself, now. As a boy the theories he developed did not depend on fire for fire bending, but of heat. Heat was the what really enabled the ability of fire bending and through this he had developed a method to blow fire out from his lungs. The first person in history to ever accomplish this was now going to make history! _

_Right in front of him, a burst of flame exploded forward. The sudden outburst was so large that it pushed him back, further throwing his cape into a frenzy, and pushing the carrier down into the water. The 5 soldiers stepped back, and the Fire Nation navy personnel stood up to view their glorious victor over injustice burn through their plight. The flame poured out from his mouth and with such fervor that it lighted the eastern shoreline. It was so fast and so powerful, that its dissipation arc was many lands long. Burning right through the air, the flame made contact with the falling wall, and in a surge of energy, so immense that even the sun would be envious, halted its progress. _

_There it was, a single man, stopping the fall of a giant monument, that which weighed as much as the navy itself. Sazora's determination was strong, and it was so inhuman, that his nervous system cut all feeling into this hands, legs and lungs. The lands made no sound. Nor did they want too. The screaming of earth's barren and beaten body, and the howls of crying moon were silenced. The only sound that emanated from that part of the world was the roar of the flames carried through the air, which was, to note, extremely loud. _

_-_

"_IMPOSSIBLE!" Screamed the general. _

"_This is not fire bending...this is just...inhuman power!" whispered one soldier in awe. "Wrong, this is power beyond that of the Avatar's." corrected another soldier. There were several other whispers of the sort as well._

_The general shook his head to relieve himself of his frozen state, "Dammit! Foil his damn plan! All benders to the front ranks." When all the benders ran forward and stood in a line, he hollered to his newly formed battalion, "PUSH THE TOWER DOWN!" _

_-_

_The former Fire Lord was out of breath, but the flame was self sustaining now. Instead of drawing the air from his lungs, the energy was being drawn from his own bodily spirit. His own bodily life force was fueling the massive spew of fire, that was coming from his mouth. In an instant he switched his hand positions, connecting his finger tips together, such that the fire went in between. Quickly he started to close in his right hand, to reduce the size of the hole. Clasping his hand tightly with the other, the flame brightened. _

_Sazora noticed that the wall was now coming down. Slowly but surely it would sink everyone of his people into the abyss below them. 'This is beyond what I expected. I thought I would die with at least a mortal body to leave behind as a remnant of my stay on this planet. I have said it before, and I shall recast my words again. My people, forever shall I love all of you, and watch over you. This, the last of my energy, I pour forth to glorify our stature, and to prove that justice will prevail!'_

_Sazora closed his eyes. This was it. His eyes burned to a thick redness, and veins started to inflate all over his body. The blood coursing through him started to boil, and his muscles started to tear. At the base of his feet the carrier steel turned to molten metal, and the 5 soldiers, so taken aback by the sudden change in the nature of their surroundings, through themselves into the water away from the carrier. The sea surrounding Sazora started to bubble, and vaporize, and smoke started to become visible from where he was standing. Many of the ships in the front ranks were now becoming extremely hot, giving off a noticeable glow. _

_In a moment, the flame ignited, again. The fires pouring forth from his mouth, increased in energy but was being reduced in size, turning the flames into a white blast of heat. In the same second, the smoke blew away from the former Fire Lord, shaking the ocean's travelers, as the ships rattled back and forth. Sazora's body had then burned from the outside to his core. Eating through his body, the flames engulfed him, and charred away his being, leaving nothing but a tornado of embers which soon died in the midnight air, all in a matter of seconds. _

_The soldiers looked ahead at the falling wall._

_-_

"_This...is terrifying." The general of the Earth Kingdom intercept force paused for a very long time, and then meekly stated, "It just can't be possible...,all units pull back, the Fire Nation has won this battle." _

_-_

_The wall had disappeared. Completely. It had vaporized into thin air at the instant of the shock. The Fire Nation soldiers, stood up, and looked to where their former hero was standing. In pain, they stood straight, backs as stiff as the hulls of their ships, looking towards the East, and saluting the ball of fire that grew out of the lands horizon. The sunrise set aflame the entire ocean in its burning magnificence. _

_-_

_Eraho had many revelations about his brother, who had died protecting the Fire Nation navy at the prominent age of 34. Many of Eraho's dreams later became the thoughts that went through Sazora's mind, and thus the story was told. His legacy, as one who kept on trying, who never stood down, one who went from zero to hero, from an idiot to a prodigy, is used everyday to nurture courage. He stood up to the obstacles in life. No life could be said to be harder than his, and no obstacles greater._

**- Fire Sage Zaboa**

* * *

Strange as it was Zaro had disappeared shortly after the incident. His body was never found and any path that might have lead to his whereabouts were exhausted in search for him. Totally out of view from the world, the most integral person to the survival of the navy would never receive his rightful praise, but as many did not know, he had never deserved any praise in the first place. 

Sazora was gone. Eraho assembled every soldier of the Fire Nation, and ordered a massive halt on all operations. The full day would be a time of mourning. The navy had indeed captured the land, but their faces were distraught in pain and sadness. A monument of the Fire Lord was built in Sazora's honor. In the statue, he stood tall, his right hand holding a candle light, while his left hand held his son's tiny fingers, whose hands were outstretched clasping onto the fingers of his father. The monument, made of steel, had Sazora smiling and looking forward, his son staring up at his father's happiness. Both were clothed in magnificent royal attire, and at the base of the monument was a plaque, "_Here lays the soul of our victor. The 2nd Fire Lord of the 2nd Engagement." _Erah mourned her loss terribly, and Kira tried to comfort her. Meanwhile Saze stood strong staring into the happy eyes of the statue of his father. Eraho placed a hand on his shoulder and Ejah stood close to offer support. The march of the soldiers was beautiful, and the crowd of people gathered for his funeral were great in number.

As instructed by his brother, Eraho took the throne, and ruled diligently, training both Saze and Ejah, in the necessities of truly great leaders. Erah had disappeared, along with the child in her womb. A concurrent investigation was thrown in to research the matter, but it was not a decisive effort. The decision to stop the endeavor of trying to find Fire Empress Erah was directed by Eraho, but heavily influenced by Sage Zubuum, and it was still regarded in mystery. Sage Zubuum had spent 3 months convincing Eraho about the results that she had indeed gone mad and had gone off to search for her husband. It was Kira who heavily doubted these results, but Zubuum ultimately convinced Eraho.

Ejah succeeded his father to become an honored general. Saze had taken the throne after the decade of mourning passed. Saze's inauguration was on the anniversary of his father's death, and the celebrations took place at his dedication ground, to include Sazora into the ceremony. Ruling the Fire Nation for 32 years, Saze was 52 years old by then, and the war raged for 64 years now. His son, Azulon, then succeeded him, by which time Saze retired. Azulon had a single daughter. Her name was Ursa and being his only child, his dynasty was bound to die out.

In an unfortunate turn of events, Saze and Azulon had barely any documents published on the both of them. In their time of rule, they had conducted structured attacks on rebel fortifications, but for some reason or another, whatever ground Saze had won in his battles, Azulon had lost, and vice versa. They were great men, indeed, and their tactics and strategies were perfectly sound and were executed with the highest of efficiencies, but the outcomes were always so predictable, despite any effort to change the expected. There was one action though, carried out by Saze during his time of rule that was out of order.

In an act so terrifying, that the Fire Nation and its citizens were labeled, by all peoples, as despicable tyrants, they had carried through with the massacre and the genocide of the entirety of all the Air Nomads. Despite the fact that the Earth Kingdom had apparently started the war, all Fire Nation peoples were always regarded, thereafter, as ruthless, tyrannical, blood-thirsty killers with no right to live. Of course these statements were far from the truth, but it seemed that since such a powerful icon had carried through with the events, all of them under him would also be cast with those insults. The actual motivation for the genocidal act was a controversial matter. Fire Lord Saze said that he did it only to eradicate the existence of the Avatar, such that there would be no hindrance to the war efforts, but of course he only _said_ that.

They're internal stories are unknown, and not one effort was put into any biographical documents on them because of it. They were the only Fire Lords in history upon which no details were paid to, and it seemed to many that both these Lords of Fire had something in their midst that no one else was to know about. Many documents that do talk about their exploits imply, very subtly, that they were trying to hide something.

Ejah, by now was also 52, and had several children, each of which became generals, admirals and commanders themselves. His 3rd son was 24 years old, and had 2 children. His first was named Iroh, and his second was Ozai. Ejah had trained them both with invaluable skills to continue his dynasty composed of the most powerful generals in history. When Iroh turned 20, he had fallen in love, had gotten married, and had his first and only child. But Ozai, 12 years old now, was still a single person, alone in his life, as to be expected of him.

Though Iroh was kind hearted and generous, Ozai was fierce and honorable. Iroh and Ozai saw their relationship, even with such contrasting views, as a means to define their lives. They were dependent on each other, and could not live in the world otherwise. Ozai was a man thought to have an iron jaw, and a fist clenched so tight that his knuckles refused the flow of blood to his hands, or so he was thought of like that. In reality, but hidden from anyone's view, he was severely kind hearted, unable to even step on an ant.

Because of these traits associated with him, it was humorous how Ozai had found love.

General Iroh was 28 now. Captain Ozai was 20 and was still single. As he was trekking though the forest, he came upon many plants and animals, all of which did not surprise him and his escorts were not beside him that day. He ventured alone into the wilderness to quietly meditate. Ozai, by now, was a very handsome man, who had the eyes of many girls. They would giggle whenever he would pass by them in the cities, and some would try and follow him, only to be scared away by his escorts. Strong, proud and honorable he paced the lands patiently quietly thinking to himself about how wars had begun, what fueled them, and what was necessary to end them. Never once did he spend his time fulfilling in attaining what others considered pleasure. Ozai was beyond that and was raised with true honor. He would never disgrace himself, and even mere thoughts such as those never crossed his mind.

Though his tactics were brutal, his ultimate goal was only to end the war peacefully. Seeing his best friends go off into the blast furnace that was war, never to return, hurt him dearly, and every night he would look upon the tags that their bodies left behind as their souls ascended into the spirit world. It pained him even more to know that he was forbidden to cross the threshold of Fire Land Islands in order to help his comrades. Watching his friends die was very painful, indeed. As a result, he trained vigorously, waiting for the day when he could finally go out there. After years of seeing what war had become like, unlike his brother who had remained kind-hearted, his thoughts on the path of life had become very dark, and so, many had regarded him as the Beast of Fire. His body was well built and frighteningly strong. But hiding behind his tough exterior was gentle heart, so soft in nature, that at every loss, his heart not only destroyed him with pain, it threatened to disappear.

And trekking through the forest, his thoughts were no different. He thought about his fallen acquaintances, now just distant memories. He also mused at how grand the funerals were becoming. It must be from all those losses. That unintentional joke, angered the spirits, or so Ozai thought as he tripped over a root, and with no escorts to stop his fall, had dove right into the soft dirt. Cursing, he picked himself up, only to be knocked down again by a branch that flung back from being bent by a running platypus bear. Hitting him right in the middle of his face, he was thrown backwards and landed on a spiked anter, an animal with a horde of needles bound to its posterior. The needles dug into every section of his back, and ultimately punctured his rear. The animal scurried away, leaving a helpless grand general-to-be in pain, lying on this stomach.

Fire Princess Ursa was taking her usual morning jog. Deciding for the first time to venture through the forests, she glided by the trees gracefully. She was a young beautiful lady now, about the age of 18, and still looking for a husband. She wasn't in her royal garbs since that would only hinder her exercise. Wearing a tight pair of shorts, and a relatively tight short sleeved tunic, with her hair in a pony tail, and the hair clip in her pocket, she majestically flew through the forest. As she was running, she saw a pile of red and black clothes, royal attire, all crumpled on the ground. The funny part of it was that it was Ozai's clothes. All those girls must've finally got to him.

"I knew he would just fall for those girls...that Ozai, always...ugh!" She sighed in disdain. Ozai and her had known each other for several years, ever since they were children. But they were never friends. It was most likely because they hated each other, but that hate was something that spawned out of an inability to contain an uncontrollable desire for them to be with one another, however no one knew this, not even themselves. Constantly bickering, Iroh was always there to try and break the fights. Ursa and Ozai had one thing in common, though. Being around one another brought the children in them. But now, there would be no one to stop her from blasting the young man. Sleeping with local civilians was a forbidden action, and those kinds of actions done by such royalty was heavily looked down upon.

She would let him go this time, but not without giving a piece of her mind. "OZAI! I know you're here! You're pretty clumsy if you just leave your clothes out here in the open. Any passer by, traversing this forest, will see you and your actions, like me for instance, you IDIOT!", she screamed, mistakingly thinking that Ozai had discarded his clothes to sleep with a women in the forest, when in reality, the pile of discarded clothes was really Ozai bearing his back in the air.

She suddenly stepped back from the hearing a response so quickly. "I'M NOT LIKE THAT! FOOL!" She heard the voice from the clothes and ran towards it. Bending over to get a better inspection, she started to giggle. Trying to suppress her laugh, she flung her hands over her mouth, but her shoulders were shuddering. In an uncontrollable fit, she latched onto her sides, and burst into laughter. There was Ozai, a young man of such power, lying on his stomach, his head tilted sideways for him to talk. His back and rear were embedded with needles. "An... anter, I... suppose!" She forced out, through her fits of laughter.

Ozai then closed his eyes, and furrowed his eyebrows and tensing his posture. _Time to play with her._ "Please..." Ozai said, his voice almost broken.

Ursa suddenly stopped laughing and her reaction became serious. She had never seen Ozai in pain before, or never did she see him show his pain, so she didn't know how to react. "Ozai, what's wrong. Anters aren't poisonous, so it shouldn't hurt for you."

"Please..." Ozai let out, less tense this time. _This should really get her..._

Now Ursa was starting to break. She didn't know what to do, and she desperately wanted to help him. Lowering herself to her knees, she placed a hand on his cheek. "Ozai, be strong, dammit! I'm not used to you in this condition. I'll get help, just hold on."

"Please..." he said once more, _Oh, I'll just cut the crap...looks like I'm going to make her cry again._ In a more unenthusiastic voice, he continued "...just shut up," Ozai stated flatly.

"Stop this Ozai...you must be stro-" then realization dawned on her, "YOU IDIOT! You made me worry for nothing! I was willing to do anything for you right now, and you...AGH!"

Ozai opened his eyes, and looked at her, raising an eyebrow, "It still hurts you know. Try getting an array of needles in your back, and see how long you can suppress the pain, idiot."

Ursa got onto her feet, and screamed, scaring away the curious animals that were aroused by the bickering couple. She was adamant about leaving him in his position. Ozai, though, was not faking anymore. The needles were starting to bother him, a rare occurrence, and she could see it in his face. Ursa bent over again, and in a very gentle voice that even surprised Ozai, said, "Just stay still."

Slowly, she started to pull the needles one by one out of his back, and finally reached his rear. For the first time ever, they were conversing normally, well as normal as could be when one was constantly pulling 3 finger length needles out of ones back. Suddenly jokes started to fly in, as she tried to quickly take out needles in his rear. The conversation they were having started to open up the gates to their hearts that they locked from each other. However, it was Ursa's whose opened faster.

Ozai, was still giggling after the treatment, tears rolling out of his closed eyes. He was still on his stomach, since lying on his back would only aggravate the pains. She had to take off his top tunic in order to bandage the wounds, while at the same time was trying desperately to suppress the blush that crossed her face every time she grazed her soft hands over his powerful back. Luckily for her, the needles on his rear were very small, and there was no bleeding, since the pierce was extremely shallow, so no bandages were necessary. It seemed that Ozai's lower back had made contact with the creatures head, where the smallest hair-like spindles were.

But that was all a few minutes ago. Ozai was now relieved of the pain, but was still giggling from the recollection of their distant memories. Ursa's laughter died down. An affectionate gaze crossed her face as a slight grin caught a hold of her lips. She stared at the broken hearted man, a person scarred by the loss of so many of his dear comrades, for the first time, laughing with no worries in the world. Her heart melted as she gazed upon him, and couldn't resist pulling herself closer to him.

Over the course of a few seconds, her lips glided across the air and rested happily upon the hardened soldiers lips. Ozai instantly stopped giggling, and snapped his eyes open only to see the closed eyes of a contented women right in front him, lying down beside him, holding his face in the palm of her gentle hands. She continued to kiss him, and Ozai realized why he was so broken hearted. There was no one there to mend his injured heart. Ozai rolled onto his side slowly and wrapped his arms around her waist, ignoring the pain that ripped through his back. In was a simple kiss but one that brought him out the dark recesses of his mind into the broad light and comfort that she offered. Holding her close, they stayed in their position, till she pulled away, finally hugging him tightly.

Closing her eyes, she said, "I'm so sorry...for what you had to go through all your life." She whispered.

Ozai's shoulders started to shudder, and she pulled away to look into his pained face. What she saw astonished her. Ozai broke down very slowly, right in front of her, but not dramatically, and began to release the emotions he closed off to the world for so long. In an instant she embraced him again and kissed him on the forehead. "I won't leave you alone then. From now on, be sure to know that I'll be with you, right beside you from now on. Despite our pasts." She said truthfully, never knowing the reality of how truthful she really was being, since 2 years later Ozai and Ursa had gotten married. Ozai, as a descendant and a trainee of the some of the most powerful generals and military officials in the Fire Nation, his stance as the newly inaugurated Fire Lord was more than perfect. Ursa had become the Fire Empress, and Azulon's lineage would continue. And 9 months after the marriage, their first son, Fire Prince Zuko, was born to the world. Almost 12 months later, they had yet another child, their second and prodigious daughter Fire Princess Azula. Though Ozai and Ursa had had the greatest of happiness in each others presence, Iroh's life was bound to become lone and miserable, when in a battle, his son had died, and his wife passed away with a broken heart.

Saze's and Ejah's dynasty had finally merged, which in actuality should have unified their friendship. But something had happened, much into the past, that scarred their brotherhood, and the unification of their families was further paining their relationships. It seemed that what Saze and Azulon had to hide was becoming more prominent in ways one would never imagine.

* * *

"ZUKO!" Screamed his mother. She had come upstairs to check if her children were asleep and as it was for several nights now, Zuko was still up. 

Prince Zuko was taken by surprise, and the flame lighting the candle ignited upwards. "Mom! I...uh, was...having a hard time getting to sleep. Yeah...and I needed to read these boring documents to make me get tired! That's it! But, yeah, mom you're right, I should jump into the bed, so goodnig-" He tried to end it, before she started questioning, quickly trying to snap his fingers to douse the candle, before his mother interrupted him.

"Oh no you don't! You can't get off that easily-", Ursa paused for a moment then, "Documents?" she pondered aloud.

"Mom, I got training tomorrow, so can you punish me later. Dad's going to get into a frenzy if I can't balance on a finger while sending a burst of fire through the obstacles in the training grounds." Zuko yawned. Ursa approached her son and kissed him on the forehead. "Tomorrow it is then. Your dad won't be as easy on you as he is on your sister."

"But! He doesn't even go easy when training Azula!" he whined.

"I know. That's your punishment." she giggled and left his room. "Now go to sleep!"

Zuko smiled and fell back onto his pillow, soon snoring, while questions raced through his minds of the many mysteries he had pondered about when bringing up his _recollected histories _of the Fire Nation.

* * *

**Post - - A/N 1:** _Now there is something very important to notice and to keep track of. The uses of the words 'mysteriously', 'apparently', 'abrupt', 'disappeared', and other words of the sort that seem to imply something not on the surface of what is read, really, make sure you remember those points. Its not that I use them to find a way to just help in cutting down the descriptions (though they do wonderfully...lol), they do have a bigger purpose._

**Post - - A/N 2: **_About the music idea, take it for what its worth. I write the story first with music, and then I concentrate and run through what I've read to make it better. The musical part is just to bring out whatever feelings I have for the story at that time. But for this chapter, though, its not a requirement, get this song, Choral Fantasy by Immediate Music. Again, the same song as the first chapter sets the tone for everything. These guys make music for movie trailers, and it fits in perfectly for the last part of the historical document._

**Post - - A/N 3: **_Now, how was the story? I'm trying to add more...uh, BANG, as the story goes. More power you know. _


	3. The Sun's Burial

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "**_Avatar: The Last Airbender"_**, but I do own the storyline for this story and all elements that are not within the official realm of the funded story done by Nickelodean. I also don't own the quote by _Sir Isaac Newton._

**Pre - - A/N 1: **_Again thanks to a great friend, Elenea, whose motivational reviews and words have inspired me to never falter in step. _

**Pre - - A/N 2:** _ This chapter, well in terms of length, may be longer, but word wise, it matches up to the first chapter. As you've noticed, the first chapter and most of the second were told from a very 'impersonal' perspective. By impersonal, I mean the story did not concentrate on a specific person's feelings and emotions. It just covered details of a grand scale. However, in the second chapter, when reading the Library Documents, the story generated for Fire Lord Sazora, and the parts concerning Zuko and his mother, were told from a personal perspective. After around the beginning area of this chapter, everything from here on out will be told from a personal perspective._

**Pre - - A/N 3:** _After I saw "Zuko Alone", it has become much harder to view Ozai as a kind man. But because I founded his character on this, it should be all good. But for Azula...no way. I wanted to make her also a nice person in the beginning, but that episode has shown her to be dark and scary, even as a child._

**Pre - - A/N 4: **_This chapter was very hard to write. Besides the fact that I became so used to writing in such a distant perspective that, at first, it was a challenge to write normal perspectives, there was also the 'discussion' that took a lot of my time. Besides that, in just a few chapters, many events will happen, (Refer to Post - - A/N 2)._

**Pre - - A/N 5: **_ I write for 2 reasons. The first concerns me, and the second concerns you, the reader. The first reason, is because, though I'm not great at it, I love writing. The second is because I write to entertain the readers. So this note is just for you, the readers- I hope you all enjoy!_

_

* * *

_

"**_Powerful Benders"_**

**--III--**

_"I do not know what I seem to the world, but to myself I appear to have been like a boy playing upon the seashore and diverting myself by now and then finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay before me all undiscovered."_  
**_  
_**- _Sir Isaac Newton_

**--Chapter 3:** The Sun's Burial_--_

With the times rushing past the men of war, many were dieing of old age. Eraho had passed away many, many years ago, with Kira having followed her husband into the otherworld shortly after, with age being the burden she bore in her last moments. Saze and Ejah had passed away as well shortly after the marriage of Ozai and Ursa, they're feud oddly untouched nor dismembered. Saze's proud son, Fire Lord Azulon was failing in health, but not due to his age, and his decision to step down was imminent. Beyond that, Ejah's children were still relatively active war lords. The only healthy descendants of the two great dynasties were Azulon's daughter, and Ejah's grandchildren, which were of the same generation, and they're children as well.

Ozai was a determined man. The husband of one woman, the father of two children, a leader to thousands of soldiers, and a hero to millions of civilians, meant he had several duties to uphold and fulfill. When Ozai married Ursa, of which the wedding was beyond grand, he had received the ability to gain the title of the Fire Lord, and after Fire Lord Azulon had decided that his health was not helping in guiding the war efforts, Ozai gained the throne. This was by no means the position he was seeking when he married Ursa. His union with Ursa was brought about by his love for her, and it was the additional gain that was his reward, almost like fate was happy with his decision. Upon this, he had also married into her family, thus continuing the dynasty of Fire Lord Solzen. This honor, for one not originally not part of the family, was so high that the efforts he poured into his rule were beyond believable. He had devoted much time and energy into fulfilling the Will.

The Will, by now, had received several altercations. The final goal of the Will, its ultimate finality and purpose was the only thing, that was said, to not have changed throughout all the changes. It was forbidden to actively try and change the message within the writing, but trying to modify it such that the words were brought ever closer to the original writings were allowed. A council was formed to try and recover the original documents. The profiles and histories developed for Fire Lord Solzen were studied and expanded greatly, thus new information and justifications for them allowed the writings to be altered in terms of literature.

The law, of not being able to change that which was declared almost a century ago, was something Ozai had to hold down on. This single inhibitor, the law of never altering the message was a cut-through of his morality. Ozai, as a general by lineage, had loved his soldiers. Seeing them die was horrific, and any prevention of that, while attaining the goals of the empire being fought for, were ideas he held close. Ozai had wanted to end to war peacefully, an action that could not be achieved with what the Will demanded, and though he held no retribution against his beloved and deceased leader, the ideology Fire Lord Solzen promoted did not agree with his ideals. But as a leader of the Nation, he had no choice. When all was said and done, ultimately, the Will had demanded, as a finality to the results of the war, that by its end, every empire was to be brought down to its knees and to become a faction of the Fire Nation. Thus was the notion he rejected, but was forced to keep on track.

Unfortunately, for Fire Lord Ozai himself, the fragility that was inherent in him was starting to die out. After years on war councils, being the decision maker of battalions and the controller of myriads of lives, Ozai had become a hard person. It was his spirit that became darker, but his heart was still brittle. It would take one event, corresponding to a time when his first born child would pass a decade of existence, and his younger would just reach that age, that something would happen in his life, something of such magnitude, that his spirit would ultimately converge on his heart and destroy whatever light it used to harbor, finally shattering his heart. But even though his heart was far from that end, his dark spirit had started to create a frightening and intimidating demeanor.

Ursa was a women beyond imagination. She was an icon to all women of the Fire Nation. Looked up by millions, she was as easily recognizable as her husband was. Influential in the politics involving civilians, and a person of great morals, one that cared deeply for the well being of everyone, especially her husband and children, no one could ask for a better empress, nor a better mother, and especially not a better wife. Her ideologies were strong, supported by very powerful morals that dictated everything about her.

Ozai had married a truly wonderful women, and he could not have asked for a better wife. Her dedication to him, as well as his dedication to her, was unbelievably strong. They stood by their vows of marriage, and because of it, their bonds to each other were dazzling. When she had become a mother, her tenderness of heart, and loving care for her children were beautiful. Truly, her children could have never have asked of a better mother, because they were blessed with one of the greatest. It was a trait of all women on Ursa's side of the family, especially the family tree corresponding to Erah, to be excellent wives, and mothers, and Ursa was no exception. In fact she was the true definition.

Ursa truly loved her husband, her children, her relatives and friends, with an unimaginable spirit and heart. Beyond that, the one thing that made her stand out so much, was that, just like her beloved husband, she too loved all the peoples of the Fire Nation.

At the age of 20, Ursa bore a son. Zuko, a child blessed with the heart of a lion, was one not gifted with anything of tangible means. Zuko was an emotional person, one that inherited the fragility of his father. Ozai had loved his son, but because of his ever darkening atmosphere, any form of affection was a rarity. In response to Zuko's loss, it was his mother than loved him more. Ursa had held her great grandfather in high esteem. Fire Lord Sazora in all his honor and glory was once humbled as a child. Realizing this, she knew that her son would follow the same fate. He would rise above everyone to prove something no one else saw. He had a special ability, it was just hidden. But despite his vast weaknesses and downfalls, and her love for her great grandfather, Ursa had truly loved her son.

Zuko did have a special ability. Ursa had known of the power of his heart, and how he used it to push him forward in life, but his special ability was something hidden from her eyes. It was one no would ever match. Zuko's determination. What drove his heart, and what made him the lion that he was, was not his physical strength, nor his mediocre ability to bend the element he represented, it was the special ability by which only a being of vast experience and one that knew no failure, could have, and that was his determination. Of such inhuman comprehension was this fire that it also influenced his ideologies. Along with determination, strength was needed to support the falling body when failure arrived, courage was needed to push it forward as it lagged behind, and endurance was needed to keep its position visible to every eye that ever cursed and demoralized it, to prove them wrong. Zuko stood for what the Fire Nation was and he was the child that was the foundation of their lives. But despite these valued gains, he was never recognized.

In the years to pass, when Zuko would pass the age of 10, a basic instinctual feeling would then spawn in his heart, in addition to his determination. It was a feeling rooted to his mind and one that merged his heart and soul. No one was aware that the events to occur much after his birth, would bring about such a dark and common feeling in a way not envisioned by anyone. Anger. Such a simple and fundamental makeup of what the human was, was something Zuko had placed into himself in the wrong way. In the normal circumstance, anger was a feeling no one could harbor without losing their sanity, but for Zuko, it became his life blood. Between hatred, jealousy, envy, and vengefulness, and more of those same feelings was the medium, anger, and Zuko was one to absorb it like air.

Zuko was born 84 years into the war, at a time when the Avatar never hindered the plans of the Fire Nation, and at a time when the world was crumbling under its awesome burden.

When Ursa had turned 21, she had brought another miracle into her world. Azula, her daughter, was actually a miracle to her father as well. She was both the proud child of a great family, but she was also the bending prodigy no one had expected. When she had learned of her ability to bend fire, Fire Lord Ozai was beyond proud. The war efforts needed someone of her caliber and it was his child that he boasted about to his generals. At the early age of 2, when she was caught in the darkness, fear had forced her to ignite a tiny ball of fire on top of her index to find the daylight. From that time on, her skill grew beyond the levels she was supposed to train in, and because she had great physical command of her body, she could easily bring about almost any train of motion within a single try. Ursa had loved her daughter but beyond her maternal instinct to do so, she knew something was wrong with Azula.

Azula, despite her ability to bend, or because of it, had lacked a trait inherent in her older brother, and that was humbleness. Being the overbearing, cocky fire bender that she was, she had forced her mind to gain two large social problems. The first was that she loved the pain of others, and the second was that she prided everything about herself, including her immediate family and no other. Despite this, she had two good friends, Mai and Ty Lee. Mai was a quiet and dark girl, whereas Ty Lee was bouncy and was always bright. Together, the three of them had an unsatisfiable need for combat or any form of it. But even with friends, Azula became a dark creature herself, and while the spirit-hardening Ozai viewed her as his greatest gift among all he had gained in his life, Ursa had started to worry over her, pondering if what she was acting like was normal for a child her age and status.

The events that would blow past Zuko, and introduce him to true anger, were the same events that Azula would soon be victimized from, and by that time, she would turn 10. Azula had a very calm demeanor and her messages were always dark. But it was her sense of uncaring that would travel beyond the realm of the believable. Her sadistic nature, to enjoy the pain of others, would only heighten and the smiles she gave off, ones that always accompanied dark news, were no longer artificial but were true feelings of those news.

Azula was born 85 years into the war, when the world was still in unrest and at a time when darkness was soon enveloping the world.

It was deemed, even before their births, that Zuko would take the throne and Azula would become an asset. However her father resented that idea, and had wanted to reverse the birth rights, but because Azula was a warrior, not best to be bound to the throne, not that she could have anyways, it was said that she become the guardian of Prince Zuko when he was inaugurated, and whenever the future Fire Lord ever proceeded into battle, it would be his prodigious sister, Princess Azula to escort him.

Zuko had understood what the Will required and had accepted its terms at an early age. Azula, never cared for it, and only wanted to destroy the enemies. Her ambition was so strong that she often made jokes to her friends of wanting to rip the throats of the enemies out from between their shoulders, and as fun twist, cauterize those bare shoulders once their heads departed. She was extremely dark a character, but much loved by the Nation, because in the due future, she was bound to become an icon.

Zuko was never seen in that way. Unrecognized, except by his family, Zuko was only known to inherit the throne and that was as far as any envisioned him. Any revolution he would bring about would only spark the interest of an ant coming out to eat the foods of the celebrations of which no would attend. But Zuko was determined. The fire in his eyes would help him see the daylight when nightfall blinded his path, and the radiance of his heart would only guide him along the rocky road that would lead to being the Ruler of the World.

Before the times of when Zuko would pass 10, and Azula 9, they were close. Close, but in a very limited degree. She was indeed dark, but conveyed her messages with a happy face, and Zuko, as naïve as he was, was always trying to show her the light. Joking around with her and making her laugh was his greatest goal and as a big brother, he never wanted to see her heart turn as black as it felt like. They were both fun loving children. But after those ages past, and _that _event happened, much would change between them, especially their relationship and Zuko's goal as a big brother.

* * *

_From here on...the story begins. Much pain and sorrow will follow as lost souls fight in their own wars. However, those lone warriors will bind on their own, one day merging to become a force to defy all that caused them their suffering. From here on...their loss will become their gain, their weaknesses will become their strength, and they're despair will become hope. _

_It is from here on...that the journey begins..._

_

* * *

_

_Zuko is now 10, and Azula, recently reached 9. They have not yet passed these ages, and as such, "that" event, the event that would change them, has not yet occurred in their lives. _

The ball of fire had risen towards the east from behind the mountains setting aflame the grasslands and the mountainous regions located far from Prince Zuko's palace. The drifting clouds had no purpose as to their direction, only following where the wind was taking them, crossing a path across the eyes of the sun, setting their underbellies on fire. With these, the rays had pierced into his room, only to tint it in its hues of red and orange further burning the wooden paneling on the wall. Filtering through the wooden blinds, its unbearable nature, to the eyes associated to the dark, caused the sleeping ten-year-old to ruffle from side to side, trying desperately to avoid the light of the morning. Ultimately it had woken him up and finding a dark corner now meant nothing.

The still groggy prince sat up straight, his eyelids halfway open. "Morning...dedications..." Remembering the daily obligations made his head drop. '_Why, honestly, I don't get any stronger, and Azula clearly never does it!'_ He had pondered these thoughts to himself on many occasions, but as a Fire Nation citizen, he was to always honor the customs. '_Should I ever become a leader_,' a position he was destined for, '_then the customs,'_ that defined his empire '_would always have to be followed by everyone...including my sister.' _

Sitting up straight, Zuko stared towards the window that was off to his left. Originally, in his square room, his bed, a large wooden base, with a mattress and a four post ceiling complimenting its design, was located in the middle of his room. In this original orientation, the window would be directly on his right, and the entrance to his room directly in front, but with the sun rising in the east, a direction his window happened to face, the light was beyond bearable. Zuko had changed the orientation of his room such that the right wing of his bed was in contact with the rear wall, which made the mornings much easier to handle.

There he looked towards the sun. He knew it was rising slowly, yet steadily, just like his training, or so his mother had said to motivate his damaging morale. Indeed, he was no expert at bending but he was trying his hardest, and his father could only do so much for a child that was limited in so many ways.

Beyond that Zuko was not trained in any other field, but was adamant to one day join the weapons training classes of the Yuu Yan. They were a fighter squadron proud and able to accomplish anything. '_Even bringing back the Avatar after being lost for...' _ Zuko looked into the air, and used his fingers to count how many years he had been missing '..._I guess 94...94 YEARS! That guy has to be gone by now, maybe to the moon.' _He mused to himself.

Zuko folded his legs in the meditative position and placed his hands together in a sign of a prayer. He closed his eyes, and allowed the light from the sun to penetrate his eyelids. Breathing calmly, he had to focus on a viable heat path, one that was large enough for him to place a fire in. When Zuko found it, he snapped his eyes open, and drew a mental image of a kanji representing peace and prosperity. A flame then ignited forming the kanji in the air. It was a small symbol that soon disappeared.

There was no requirement of size, but just that a small portion of the energy be devoted to showing fate where one wanted to be guided. Since it required discipline to execute the move, Zuko had also believed that the spirits would provide good health and safe travels because of it.

"The dedications are done, and the sun looks beautiful. Nothing could go wrong." He breathed. Zuko looked around his room, to spot any intruders, and since none were present, he was safe to lift his pillow to see the parchments he'd stolen. _'They're still here. I have to get them back before anyone finds them.' _ Zuko then stashed the papers in a lidded box, and placed it under his bed. He pondered on last nights conversation as he started to get out of bed, '_Mom said training would be harder than usual.' _ Hopping out of bed he started towards the cabinets. '_I hope it isn't true,' _he thought to himself.

Zuko stood in front of the cabinets. There were fire engravings carved into its form, and as the sun was rising, its casted rays gleamed off of the gold that lined the carvings. Since it was training this morning, he needed a full battle uniform, and as such, pulled out the heavy garments. He passed his bed, and threw the clothes there while walking into the washroom to freshen up.

His breakfast was waiting for him downstairs, he knew, because by this time, the workers had already finished cleaning the palace, but he could not get to the food till after the training. The workers didn't have much sleep but they usually were very kind.

In the washroom, a majestic, marble adorned room with all the facilities, Zuko stared outside the window, while cleaning his teeth and tongue with a keiki leaf. After gargling his mouth, he walked out. Bathing would come after the training.

Zuko quickly paced across his room to put on the uniform. The underclothes were easy enough, and the tunic simply slipped on. It was his royal armor that was the pain. He marched towards the closet and threw the doors open dramatically, to give him an air of power. But that air was diluted with the dust that flew into his face. "What...the...", Zuko wondered through his coughing. He poked his head in and looked up to see the problem. A bag of coal dust sat at the top of the inner frame. '_Wow, I totally forgot about this.'_

Zuko looked forward, and there it was. Already hanging in a way to show where every part went, was his body armor. There was the plated vest in the middle, with the arm and shin braces, located to the side and below the plating. With that was the lower skirt guard, located below, and the neck and shoulder plate on top. Zuko had his own helmet, but that never left its place on the hook. He removed the arm and shin braces, and locked them on. The forward breast plate had intricate tethers in the back to hold it up, with the wires running around his arm, over his shoulders and around his waist, and it was accompanied by such confusion that it was hard not to stick his tongue out.

"I could be of assistance..." appeared a female voice.

"Mai?" Zuko looked up. "Why are you here?" There stood Mai, a quiet girl, with dark ravenous hair, poking her head into his room. Zuko never had an interest in her, but the same couldn't be said about the other way around. She had a crush on him, and it was more than just an infatuation of the handsome child.

She quickly looked down, "Well, Azula wanted to us to see the training, so she invited Ty Lee and me here." _'Oh, what was I thinking! This is so odd, randomly coming here, just to check up on him.'_ She tried to laugh it off.

"Oh, well, could you tie up the harness' in the back. I still can't reach them." He said while still struggling to get them together.

Her face lighted up at his request. "Don't worry, I'll fix 'em up!" Zuko turned his back to her, and she buttoned the harnesses together. She looked into his closet and saw the neck and shoulder plate sitting there. "Do you have to where that too?"

Zuko looked in her direction. "Oh, I can get that on myself, no problem, no tethers to worry about. But, thanks a lot, Mai!"

She smiled and ran out of the room. Before she was completely gone, she whizzed back for one final message. "Well I have to see where Ty Lee is...but I'll probably drop by for the training. So see you then?" _'He looks so cool with the body armor and all!'_

"Sure thing." Smiled Zuko. _'I wonder what she was doing here in the first place? Whatever, she cut down the prep time by 20 minutes, so I can't complain.' _He thought.

-

By now Zuko had reached the main corridor. This was where all the doorways that lead to any field surrounding the palace, were located. He stopped for a second, as he usually did, to observe, carefully, the beauty of his surroundings. _'Whoever built this, must have spent more time on each monument, than the total time I spend looking at this place.' _

There were pillars off to his right and left, running down the lengths of wall. The walls itself had the many doorways with large over hanging banners with woven stories as part of its design. The ceiling ran extremely high, and without the sunlight trickling through the square opening at the top and the fire fueled chandeliers, it would have been as black as the hearts of the statues that stood in front of every other pillar. The entire area was casted in marble, with ebony as its background and a sharp white contrast streaking in forms of lightning. The pillars, in addition to having influential monuments adorning their bases, had fire basins situated halfway up their lengths. Within were the burning candles.

The walls corresponded to the cardinal directions. The wall farthest from him was the North Wall. From there, he stood at the entrance of the South Wall, with the East to his right, and the West to his left. The room was designed such that when the sun was in the middle of the sky, the light would shine down on the dedication statue of Fire Lord Sazora, which sat at the far end of the main corridor, right in the middle of the North Wall. It was the largest statue there, and was held high above the ground by a giant and powerful marble cube stone. In the middle of that stone was the entrance to the throne room. The door he had just walked out of, had led to the royal sleeping quarters.

Many of the rooms were identical to this, but this was his favorite area of the palace. He turned to the right, and made an exit out through one of the doorways on the East Wall. _'With all this extra time, dad won't get disappointed as easily!' _This was a great highlight to his day. The exit led him to the main training grounds.

-

"Zuko. You're earlier than usual son." Stated his father, who looked far ahead at Azula who was trying to clear the archer track without falling.

"Well, dad, I had help putting on the breastplate so I have some extra time to spare." Sung his happy voice.

"I'm glad." Ozai smiled. _'That girl is playing her cards right. If Azula doesn't taunt her progress, Mai should be able to attract Zuko...Wait! What am I thinking! That Ursa...' _"Well son, where did we last leave off at?" He said as he turned towards his son.

"Well, I think it was a short introduction to the ember...sai?"

"Right. Yes, the ember sai." _'This is as close to hand-to-hand combat I can allow for someone his level.'_ "In remembrance of the fact that your skills no where parallel your sisters, you may be wondering the specialty of this move."

_'Exactly...'_

"Well, I've noticed that your method of bending has a vague stability to it. As such, this is a move that you should be able to accomplish fairly easily." Ozai held out his hand, his palm facing down. "The ember sai is a decorated move. It is a maneuver that enables close-combat fighting."

At this Zuko's eyes sparkled. In reality, because he failed at even being a competition to this sister at fire bending, he wanted to exceed her in another field. Weapons combat, and close combat fighting was a step in that direction. However, this was as far as his father wanted him to excel. Zuko was mediocre at the arts of bending, and was nothing of special mentioning, but his father wanted him to excel in this field, and no other.

Ozai quickly wrapped his hand into a fist, and as he did so, a small heat wave started to generate on the outer edge of his palm. Slowly, an audible sound, that of a high-pressure cooker started to arise. Zuko stared in wonder as a yellow after-burn started to take form, which soon erupted into a full force fire thrust.

"The ember sai is named for the form of which this move assumes, and that is off an offensive sai stance. Beyond that, the term 'ember' is used to encompass that fact that it is a flame, and not steel that you use to fight your opponents." Ozai said as he stared at his son. He quickly jutted his arm to the right and left in a counter attack train of motion, to show Zuko how the ember sai helped in combat.

Ozai dissipated the flame, while Zuko stared in awe. "You're fire bending carry through is strong and steady, even though the rigidity of it is what limits your ability to bend better. However your sister has a more fluid approach. Other students are much better following it, but she is blessed with the ability to properly contain and control her motion. With that said, she lacks the physical strength and the rigidity required to perform this move."

Ozai stepped away from his son. "The ember sai is a high level maneuver. Why? Remember fluidity makes one bend better, but with that one must train to reacquire the rigidity of its motion. You haven't lost it, and thus you can perform it. Follow me."

-

Zuko's uncle, Iroh, the older brother to Fire Lord Ozai, was watching over Azula over on the left side of the training field. Mai and Ty Lee were on the barracks playing through a part of the archer tracks, while Fire Empress Ursa was watching both her daughter close by and her son from a distance, being that she was giving company to both Iroh and her daughter, Azula.

Since Zuko always came a bit later, she always watched her daughter for the early part of the training session. _'You're doing so great.' _Ursa thought, as she watched her daughter scale a jump. "Excellent work, honey!" She waved at her, _'I am so proud of your progress, Azula.' _She looked back at Zuko.

"Empress Ursa, there is no need to worry over Prince Zuko." Iroh mentioned in between his sip of his morning tea. He was dressed in royal attire, just like Fire Lord Ozai, and Fire Empress Ursa. Except his had an exceptional amount of black adorning the robes, which was used to remember his son and wife.

"Oh, Iroh, stop with the formalities." She joked with him. "Those words are a hindrance to whatever message you're trying to say. 'Empress', 'Prince'...no wonder your statements are so short." She smiled, turning to look at him, and then stared off at a bird as it jetted by. "I'm not worried about him. I...just...don't want him to feel so lowly anymore. He may not meet the expectations of his father, but he tries. He should be proud of that."

"Your son is a strong fighter." Iroh tipped the cup into his mouth, and settled it back down. "He will surpass the views of others. Remember that." Iroh looked wise as he stroked his black beard. It was as if wisdom lived in there, and every stroke bore more messages from his vast knowledge. _'I am impressive.' _He smirked.

Iroh now lived in the royal palace. After the loss of his wife and son, Fire Lord Ozai demanded that his older brother live with him. When Iroh took residence, it was Prince Zuko that provided him his food, guidance throughout the palace walls, and, most importantly, company. Because of it, Iroh saw Zuko as his son and had treated him well. His loss at Ba Sing Se was a story to behold, however his battle against the demons at Ba Sing Se, was a story he held secret.

"You're right." Ursa said, and then turned to watch her son again.

-

Since the maneuver required the tensions of several muscles in the palm all the way to his hips, it was necessary, for the first try, to execute a train of motion that tensed the appropriate muscles. Breathing slowly, Ozai went through the necessary movements. He straightened his posture, then slowly spread apart his legs, extending one hand out and quickly wrapping one of his hands into his chest, only to shoot it out in the other direction, all while running his feet through intricate steps, where his body would spin and arch in such amazing motions. Ozai's hand had then shot out in front of him, held into a fist, and his other followed along in a wide swing that impacted the top of his fist. With that the flame exploded on the outside of his fist in the form of a thrust.

"You're turn." He said through narrowed eyes.

Zuko nodded at his father. He breathed slowly to acquire concentration and then carried through with the motion. At the last step of his feet, he slammed his palm onto his fist, and out through the bottom, the flame exploded, frighteningly.

Instead of gradually heating the air with the fire pouring out after, as Ozai had demonstrated, Zuko's execution caused the flame to burst outwards instantly, creating a shockwave of noise.

_What the!' _ Zuko's eyes widened in horror. The flow had come out with such a massive force and with such a consistency, that his heart started to flare in pain as it tried to provide enough air to his muscles to hold his hand steady.

He remembered most of the maneuvers his father had taught him, and they were manageable, with the possibility of standing against its force, but this was too much for his arm, and his biceps started to strain severely. '_My arm's going to give out!'_

"Zuko, control! With too much power, you could dislocate your arm!" Ozai warned loudly. From the corner of his eyes, he could see his wife running ever closer to them. She had felt something tug at her heart when Zuko executed the move.

"Ursa stand back!" Ozai held out his hand against her. "The damage area, if performed incorrectly, is large!" He had his eyes fixed on his son, and was waiting for any signal of a muscle failure.

Zuko narrowed his eyes in determination. He wasn't going to let a mishap take away the initial impression his father had of his execution, which, to his father, was impressive. _'I will not fail you, dad!' _He knew he couldn't reduce the flame, not with his heart pounding at the rate it was, so he swung his body around to allow the flame to reduce the tension in his arm, and at that point his fist pushed underneath his left hand and started to fly out of his control. '_NO!' _

Zuko kept his eyes closed and tried to pull his arm back. Twisting faster, his foot dashed against a rock destroying his concentration. At that point, it drove to his side and arched over his head, pulling a full sweep around in the air, quickly popping Zuko's shoulder bone out of its position.

Zuko, closed his eyes, bit his tongue, but had supressed to urge to scream out in pain.

His arm had no feeling to it, and with it able to hang limply, his fist took control and smashed him into the ground, driving in and out of the dirt as it pulled his flailing body. He tried desperately to stabilize and that only succeeded in his body being dragged by the side, quickly guiding him to the stone walls of the palace. Ozai leaned towards Zuko and jetted forward, heading for his arm. Immobilizing it in a powerful grip, he pressed on Zuko's wrist to cut the heat path. With that, Zuko opened his eyes in horror, sweat dripping down his face, as his father holding his pained body. '_That was dangerous...'_.

"Med team, get a stretcher!" Ozai said standing up and looking towards the closest medical squadron. Ursa ran to her son, holding him close and rubbing his back to offer comfort.

"I'm fine mom." Zuko said through a pained expression.

"Clearly, you're not!" Ursa replied sternly. '_That was close. Had Ozai not limited his arm, Zuko could've run into a wall.' _She thought to herself, trying to disperse the thought.

"Zuko, practice will resume after they fix the dislocation. You did well." Ozai said, looking down on his son. The medical team arrived and heaved him onto the stretcher. As his mother ran beside it, the team tried to acquire a quick diagnostic while running into the ward.

Ozai, though disappointed with Zuko's injury, had smiled in acknowledgment of his son's determination in trying to control the maneuver. He tried to control the situation despite the speed with which the problem had arisen, and that proved his leadership skills, making Ozai proud.

He turned around and started to walk towards his daughter, who completed the track and was now running towards him.

In the distance, "I'm sorry dad...," Zuko whispered to himself. That small comment caused Ursa to look at her son, whose eyes were closed in comtemplation. She squeezed his hand tighter.

-

Azula, Mai and Ty Lee ran towards Ozai. Iroh took notice of his stricken nephew and looked towards his brother. Ozai stared back at him and nodded, and with that Iroh made his way back into the palace to see Zuko.

"Dad." Azula panted after reaching her father. "What happened this time?"

"Your brother had a mishap." Ozai mentioned. "Nothing to concern yourself about. I'm proud, though, that he could start the maneuver. And how he handled the problem was impressive but that was all that happened."

"So he's okay, Lord Ozai?" Mai asked. '_I hope he's fine.'_

Ozai looked at her and her friends. "Zuko's practice will resume soon." Looking straight at his daughter he asked, "Azula, did you clear the track?"

Azula smirked. "Hmph, it was done without a slip up." '_These mediocre training regiments won't improve anything.'_

"Good." Ozai then walked off into another direction. A group of generals and a few palace guards, as well as a station of sentries, had awaited Ozai's presence as they stood outside in the field. Strangely enough, Iroh was with them conversing, instead of being inside the ward, as he originally intended. Ozai ignored the change, and had questioned the group."What is it?"

One of the generals looked over to the Fire Lord. "Something happened. Apparently an accident," he said. Ozai took notice of Iroh's furrowed eyebrows. Whatever message they wanted to tell Ozai had already reached the ears of his brother, and apparently it wasn't good news.

-

Zuko was in the medical ward calmly laying down on the bed. His mother was ushered outside so that she wouldn't have to bear watching Zuko when they fixed his arm. Two nurses settled beside him, and had pinned both his hands down. A doctor then entered the room and handed Zuko a small wooden bite-bar.

"My prince, grind your teeth into this, and absorb the pain." He mentioned looking towards all the other patients waiting for him.

Zuko opened his mouth and clamped his teeth around it. According to the doctors, the maneuver he had conducted in training had simply not just moved his arm out of place into a dislocation, but had blasted it out of its socket with the muscles now twisted in strange directions. As usual, they would have to manually relocate his arm, but because of his muscles, Zuko's condition would take a few seconds longer to finalize. As per the Fire Nation code, a soldier was to take the pain straight as it was, so Zuko had to withstand burning the nurses with the severe discomfort soon to follow.

As soon as Zuko was mentally prepared, the doctor received an affirmative nod from the Fire Prince, and promptly started to work through relocating Prince Zuko's disbanded limb. He placed a solid grip on his shoulder, and the other on his upper arm and proceeded with the operation.

In an instant he started to wrangle Zuko's shoulder joint, madly pulling his arm back and forth, and trying to rotate it to reallocate his muscle tendons. This caused Zuko's jaw to tighten terribly around the bite-bar, as his eyes flared open in pain, and his head snapped from side to side, with his neck muscles straining, trying to scream through the bar.

It time, the pain would subside. But as it was, it seemed that his muscles simply did not want to unwind. And the nurses were starting to have a hard time holding him down.

-

Sitting outside the medical room, Ursa patiently waited for the status of her son's condition. Her eyes were closed, and her face was saddened as she recalled the terrifying moments before, in which Zuko's own body had begun a process of massacring itself through an art his father had thought him.

"My lady, it perplexes me to see you in such good health, yet awaiting an appointment for the doctor. Of course, I am glad to see you in good health." Smiled an mid-aged, motherly women.

Ursa looked up with surprise and happiness etched into her words. "Auntie?" She immediately stood up and embraced the women. "My...I haven't seen you in ages." Ursa pressed.

The women laughed heartily, enjoying the display of happiness at her presence. In reality she was not related to Ursa, but was of a distant relative to Ozai and Iroh. Brita was the granddaughter of Kira, and was, at a time in the past, close to the once happy Iroh and once ambient Ozai, acting as an aunt in place of the absence of a real one.

Ursa had known her well ever since the marriage, but something had happened that thinned their relationship. Close to the second year of Ozai's and Ursa's union of the family, Brita had left the safety of the palace, residing in a home close to the grave of her ancestors. This was the same time that Ejah had passed away. "It pleases me so to know that I am so welcome here." She said with such a warm smile.

Ursa helped her to sit down. "Of course!" She then heard the sound of the small bell that proceeded after every successful operation. '_He's okay.' _ Ursa thought, placing a hand over her heart in gratitude for his safety. "My son had severely hurt himself in practice, auntie. That's why I'm here."

"By the sounds of things, and if the medical stream has not changed, it seems your son is in fine health now, dear." She said, pointing to the bell.

Ursa smiled at her and had the full intention of walking into the room, but she was stopped as she stood up. Brita was tugging at her sleeve. "My child..." She whispered, looking away.

This caused Ursa to look back in concern. '_Auntie?'_ "Auntie...what's the matter?" She urged.

Brita looked up and into the eyes of Ursa, concentrating on the warmth resonating from her gentle soul. Many things were amiss in the past, and sadly life still seemed to be derailed, running a route away from its true path, and what saddened her most was that, what she was to say would bring about the involvement of the young women in her presence, to the darkness that surrounded them both, the darkness that surrounded them all.

In the past, what appeared to be so, was really not. What historians dictated, was really a cover-up to a mystery that spanned a century, a mystery that spanned several generations. Brita's eyes were of the wise, but she wanted to withhold the tools that lead to the truth. However, she knew she could not. Ursa's inclusion was something recognized much before her birth, and Brita had no choice but to involve the gentle mother. Through pleading eyes, Brita let go of the words, "Ursa, things are not as they appear."

"Auntie...?" Ursa questioned. She wanted to say further things, but it seemed that that one word was enough to send the message that Ursa wanted to know more of what she was talking about.

"Dear." Brita looked back towards the wall, and shook her head in disapproval, letting go of Ursa's sleeve. "My dear, I am so sorry to have to do this, but by the will of your great grandmother, and by the instructions by my grandmother, I must ask you..."

Ursa quickly sat back down. In any case, no one would be allowed to see Zuko till he was in full repair, his mother included, and this spark of information had intrigued her. Ursa gently took hold of the hand of the kind women, quietly giving her permission to push forward in her message.

"Oh dear..." Brita heaved, "My child, there was a time when the sun had shone, the truth that it beheld in perfect view for all to see. Then darkness overcame and engulfed it in a shadow, disguising the truth as day light. No more was the truth visible in the eyes of those who loved the day. But when the darkness took over, the stars still glimmered and the moon was still bright. To that end, know that the truth can never be covered, not in day, and neither at night." Brita nodded.

"I don't understand the message. The cryptic words with which you speak, is...mesmerizing, yes, but I can't comprehend the message." Ursa said, confusion apparent in her voice.

"My child, you cannot comprehend because your heart does not will to do so, nor does your mind wish to know. But, even before you were born, you were meant to be involved." Brita then pulled over her satchel. In it she retrieved an old log book, with the side bathed in a sealant.

"Years before you were born, Fire Empress Erah had lost her beloved husband." Brita mentioned as a matter of fact, looking at the book, with which she grasped in both hands.

"Yes, my great grandfather, Fire Lord Sazora, had given his life to spare his navy from..." Ursa was then cut off as Brita handed her the book. '_Huh?'_

"Yes, your ancestor, the great and honorable Fire Lord Sazora was indeed a man of true heroism, who sacrificed his life for his navy. But behind every great man is an even greater women. Have you not wondered what happened to your great grandmother?" Brita looked deep into Ursa's eyes, searching to see if any indecision of what was told about the incident was present, and she found it.

"I wondered...but they said that she disappeared looking for the soul of my great grandfather. I was skeptical. It was said that she had apparently lost her mind." Ursa said the last part with sadness, trying to comprehend the pain of losing a loved one of such closeness. '_It truly is sad...to lose the one you love so much. If Ozai or the children...'_

"Take pride. Your great grandmother was greater than that, my child. She did not lose her mind. My grandmother, Lady Kira was good friends with your great grandmother, is not that correct?"

"The very best, indeed, almost like sisters." The question caused Ursa to tilt her head to the side, since the answer seemed so obvious.

"Notice child." Brita said, with much wisdom in her speech, "My grandmother was unconvinced as to the disappearance of your great grandmother. It was her that caused it to be three months, instead of three days, for my grandfather, at the time, Fire Lord Eraho, to be convinced by the Sage Zubuum, as to the cause of your great grandmother's disappearance. My grandmother knew better." She said with a smile, and tap to her head.

This had caused further intrigue from the side of Ursa, but within she was delighted, for this new information caused her to see her great grandmother in a light, which she had seen her in before she found out about the cause of her disappearance. "I knew it was Lady Kira that caused Fire Lord Eraho to delay in canceling the investigation, but no one ever said why..." Another thought clicked into Ursa's head, "...nor did they even say a plausible reason as to why they even considered canceling the investigation in the first place...that was where my criticism laid."

Brita then looked to the ceiling of the infirmary. She had noticed that the pillars that spanned the frame of the building, ran extremely high into the air, just like the mysteries she was discussing with Ursa. "As to your first question, well, the reason no one ever said why my grandmother delayed the investigation was because she knew what exactly happened to your great grandmother and had wanted to pursue the matter. But I cannot even fathom the reasons propagating all this. I don't know what she knew. Your guesses are as good as mine."

The apparent confusion in Ursa's demeanor caused Brita to further elaborate. "All I can say, is that Fire Empress Erah had disappeared not for the reason of a loss of mind. Yes, it was true that she was looking for her husband, but she knew that he had died in the battle for the eastern shoreline. That she was, most unfortunately, sure of. However she had not given up on her loss, and had gone about 'looking' for him in a very different manner."

Brita then gently tightening her grasp around the mother's hand. "To calm her mind, Fire Empress Erah had instead tied herself up in her own personal investigation, the contents and results of which I do not know. Two years after your marriage..." Brita trailed off.

"You left us." Finished Ursa, who was looking at the floor.

"Yes, but remember, I left after the death of my distant uncle, General Ejah. On his death bed, he told me that his adoptive mother, my true grandmother had given my mother and my aunts a very important keepsake. As you know, my mother died many years ago and my aunts, now widowed, lived together in the compounds by the grave of my grandmother. I had decided to visit them. However after staying in the palace for two years, I was resentful of leaving, but I knew my uncle would not have mentioned such a detail if it was not a matter worth pursuing. Thus, I followed my intuition." Ursa was now fully immersed in the words of the wise women, who was now standing in front of her, but she was still confused how this would explain why Brita had no idea of why Kira delayed the investigation, nor how it would answer the second question.

"I wished to know more of my personal history and had decided to stay in the family compound to find out certain...truths." She decided, her mind racing through the events of days past. "My grandmother, long ago, was truly the best of friends with your great grandmother."

'_This should explain it all, my dear,' _she thought and continued. "At a point in time, after the death of Fire Lord Sazora, the empress, Erah, had decided to seek out truths in the matter of the war. She wanted to know why her husband had died, what reasons had propagated him to do so, and the reasons he was fighting for. In essence, Fire Empress Erah was starting to question the foundation of our empire, the Fire Nation." She then pointed at the book. "What she discovered is unknown, but instead is stored away in the book you now hold. That is her log, her diary, a sacred journal of her personal life."

The sudden information, of what she was holding, had caused Ursa to tighten her grasp around the book. '_This is beyond...anything I've ever known!' _thought Ursa. Brita continued, "Shortly before her disappearance she had entrusted the information she gathered to Lady Kira, my grandmother, providing her with the knowledge she had gained from her investigations, as well as giving her, her diary. My grandmother kept it well." This, Brita said with pride, but then had pointed to a small bit of writing carved into the hardened, once soft, sealant. "On the diary was an inscription, engraved by your great grandmother herself."

Ursa tilted the book to take advantage of the rising sun. The light glinted off the markings, shading in the words, clearly showing the message for potential readers to see. '_My goodness...'_ "It dictated that only a female, specifically, one from her line of descendants, in other terms, the next 'daughter' of Fire Empress Erah, could open this book. Thus the seal she placed on it." What Brita was about to say next, forced her to place a hand on the book, which Ursa looked at intently. "My grandmother, again, kept the dairy well, and dared not even try opening it, knowing that she could not, nor would not open the book, even if the cause of her dearest friend's disappearance lied within. My grandmother acknowledged and honored the request that only the daughter of Erah could see this. The book was entrusted to her daughters, my aunts who now reside together. It was instructed to be treated as a sacred keepsake, which through time and through a line of only her descendants, her daughters, would ultimately reach the hands of the next daughter of Fire Empress Erah. We were to keep it till someone like you came into being."

Realization dawned on Ursa, "That's why I was to be involved with what 'the darkness had shadowed' much before my birth."

"Exactly! Your involvement was determined before your birth, before even a hint of your existence," Brita said with delight. "When I had visited my aunts, I inquired about the keepsake. To my surprise, it was something they had forgotten about, but with them, I searched through the family library and found the book. My aunts had told me of the history, and how it was to be one of us to give it to one of you. As I returned, something struck me as odd. Of all the daughters of my grandmother, Lady Kira, I was the only one informed by my uncle to find the book. Because of the information he dawned on me, I could finally complete the will of my grandmother. As such, I knew it was my duty, whether dead or alive, to give it to you, the next daughter of Fire Empress Erah. Only you can open the book, and it is your destiny to try and find the truth, to fully bring back the 'sun'. Oh, there is further instructions on the book, as to how to remove the sealant."

Brita then said the last statement as a side thought, recalling all the events that had taken place in the past. "Take it any way you want, but for some strange reason, every one of your ancestors have been genius'. Your great grandmother included, and no doubt you as well." She said with a smile.

Happy about the compliments, Ursa continued to question, "But, what is the reason you don't know what Lady Kira knew, and why was the investigation considered canceling?" asked the still curious, women.

Brita realized that what she said only cleared up her own questions but not of the person she was informing, "Because the book is considered a secret, my great grandmother had insinuated that what happened to her dearest friend also be kept a secret, and to note, my grandmother knew full well what happened to your great grandmother. Apparently it was out of fear that she had never revealed what had happened to her. That is why I don't know why she tried to delay the investigation, nor what she truly knew. Further to that, on your second question, the only detail my grandmother left us, was that someone had something to hide, and trying to discover why Empress Erah disappeared was a risk to the secrecy of that 'something', which explains the cancellation, obviously in no clearer terms."

_'I still don't understand...' _Thought Ursa.

Brita then concluded. "My child, in time, with diligence, and with the resources at hand, you will find all the answers to all your questions. But, I must take my leave."

"But you just arrived!" Pressed Ursa. "You can't just leave again..."

Brita could only smile back, "I'm sorry my dear. I'm so sorry my stay was so short, but there are lands that need exploring. And my time here has expired," she said with a smile.

Ursa helped her up, embraced, and kissed her on both cheeks. For some reason, throughout their entire discussion, something seemed amiss as to the sense of the presence of the kind women. But Ursa dismissed the anomaly, and waved goodbye to the now receding women. After a few moments, Brita was out of sight, but not out of mind.

-

Ursa waited patiently still. Her son was in the ward for moments far too long, especially since the operation was over much before. From the corner of her eye, she caught Azula and Ty Lee running from an enraged and blushing Mai. _'Her crush on my child...is apparent even to the unknown,' _she mused, but looking back at the book caused her to frown again. It had seemed to her that very dark secrets were hidden in the log.

As her thoughts pondered on the books contents, and its context, the doors to the medical ward swung open. The doctor had stepped out, "My Lady, your son is in-WOAH!" Azula had found an opening for her escape. Instead of running straight and risking getting pinned by Mai's throwing needles, she could instead dash into the open room and avoid their mark, with which she did, grabbing hold of Ty Lee's hand and rushing into the ward.

"Azula! Stop running in the infirmary!" Warned Ursa, now standing in partial anger.

Mai had instantly stopped at the notice of the Fire Empress. "Fire Empress Ursa...uh, I'm sorry about-"

"Dear, nothing is your fault, so no need for apologies." She responded, with clear kindness in her voice. This only caused Mai to smile in happiness.

-

"Zuzu?" Zuko's presence in the room caused her a little bit of a startle. The nurses however were startled from Azula's sudden entry. But, since the operation was over, they stepped aside and walked over to the next patient who had severely burnt himself in an Agni Kai against an opponent. "Hmph! It seems you're weaker than I thought. That accident wasn't as bad as it seemed." Azula said, leaning against the door frame.

"Shut it, Azula." Replied the prince, who looked straight at her only to look away in anger. The sudden motion caused him to wince in pain, both from the shock that ran through his arms, and from the remembrance of the events preceding his sister's visit. "No doubt you're going to annoy me more that the pain in my arm. Oh wait, you are the pain." He said, the last part in a teasing manner especially.

"Ha ha," she mocked, "Your insults are dry, drier than your ability to impress grandfather. Drier than grandfather himself." She said, sticking out her tongue.

"Well I'd rather be dry in insults than have an ego that rises above this palace, especially with what Uncle told me about you..." Zuko snickered.

"What did he say?" Azula said, stepping forward, her fists by her side. Ty Lee had the urge to hold her back, in case something was about to spark.

"Oh, that you always have reams of snot running out of your nose, _every morning!_" Laughed Zuko, emphasizing the last words, who then grasped his shoulder in pain. "Ow..."

"You okay, Prince Zuko?" Asked Ty Lee. Ty Lee was the medium between Azula and Mai. She was spontaneous, but in terms of their relationship with Zuko, she was in the middle. Azula accepted the existence of her brother. Mai had gained an affection for him. But Ty Lee was just a friend. A distant friend, more associated with the girls, than with the injured prince. If ever she had a crush, even as minor as it was, it was with Iroh's respectable and powerful son, but after his death, her concerns with love were never as serious, and the loss disheartened her.

"I'm fine-" Responded Zuko, who was then cut off as he noticed his sister approach him, with a frightening glare engraved on her face. "Uh..."

"Uncle saw WHAT!" She screamed the last part out. Before she could dislocate the arm of the immobilized prince again, Ty Lee had restrained her.

"Now princess, your brother is hurt. Spare some sympathy, won't you?" She said batting her eyelashes.

Azula rolled her eyes, and decided to lean against the door frame again. "For a fact, that's not true."

_'I'm sure...', _he thought sarcastically. Zuko stared at the door for a while, trying to remember something that bothered him while he was training. Finally recalling the thought, he decided to inquire further. "Um, I was just wondering...why was Mai by the sleeping quarters this morning?" Zuko said, massaging his shoulder to try and ease the strain he had just put on it.

Ty Lee tilted her head. "Mai was never there in the morning, silly. She was waiting for me to arrive to go see Azula." She then turned to Azula as something clicked. "But didn't you say she disappeared somewhere? Cause she was with you early in the morning, right?"

"Yeah, she had to check something..." Azula said staring at her nails, while crossing one of her arms. Her posture showed that she cared nothing of the ensuing conversation.

_'No! That's not right. She clearly was there.' _"No, no. Just this morning, Mai helped me tie the rear harness to my breastplate. Azula knows I take too long to get those buttoned up. She was definitely by the sleeping quarters, cause I was at training early." He said, nodding his head in approval.

Azula arched an eyebrow. _ 'He was early.' _

Ty Lee tried to comprehend what was just said to her. '_Did I just hear right? Mai helped Zuko with his armor, check... but that means...she went to his BEDROOM!' _The last part caused Ty Lee to bounce in the air in happiness. The girls then exchanged smirks both realizing what one of their friends had tried to do.

The unknowing prince could only stare at them both in confusion. '_What could I have said to make 'em smile like that?' _ he thought, looking at them both. '_Girls are crazy...' _

What Zuko never knew was that Mai was the one girl that kept her eyes on him all the time. Her crush on the prince was visible even to the blind. Ironically, as the girls started to find themselves achieving a state of giddiness, Mai had slowly taken a step into the room, throwing-needles at hand.

"Hey Mai..." Azula said in a sing-song voice. "Why were you by my brother's room this morning?" Azula inquired, exaggerating the 'room'.

Ty Lee continued, "Nothing happened, right?" She said with a grin reaching both her ears.

_'HUH!' _ The sudden statement had caused her to drop the needles with which she was going to pin her friends with. Her cheeks suddenly reddened and her head started to turn very slowly to stare at Zuko, to see his reaction.

Zuko was dumbfounded, and knew nothing of the situation. Even throughout the years to pass, he would never know about it.

-

Looking back, there were a lot of things that had deterred the loving mother from seeing her son. The first was the grateful visit by her dear aunt Brita. After, was the mesmerizing story behind the book she now held at her side. '_There is so much to know, yet so much is hidden, and it seems that all is in here...' _she thought. After recollecting what her aunt had said about the diary, it was hard for Ursa to not stare at the book in awe.

However, the most prominent detail in her mind was, ultimately, the status of her son. Beyond anything else, his health was something of the greatest concern to her. What she had experienced, seeing her son almost sending himself to the spirit world, was a memory she could not dispel, despite the harsh treatment it dealt to her gentle heart. But she knew her son well. He was one to stand up to any treatment, and as such, with her mind at partial ease, the facts regarding the book had easily slipped into her conscious thoughts.

Standing up, she was about to turn into the room to see her son, but from the corner of her eye she caught someone. In the distance, a man, with a raven black beard, one with which he always stroked, and a round belly, with his face saddened and his heart heavy, was strolling down the corridor. He tucked his hands into opposite sleeves, and proceeded down the hall, fully adamant about seeing his injured nephew.

Ursa was looking intently at him, but Iroh took no notice. Instead his face was locked on to the floor, with his eyes trying to see through it. He tilted his head up, for an instant, to see if he was heading in the right direction. Though he knew the infirmary well, the sheer number of rooms in the medical wing was enough to confuse any person. As such, when he looked up he caught sight of Zuko's mother.

"Empress Ursa..." Iroh stated at realizing who he had just spotted. The kind expression on her face lifted his spirits a bit.

"Iroh! Enough with the formalities!" She jokingly demanded. Expecting a chuckle from the tired man, she was terribly disappointed as a very simple upward tug at his lips appeared followed by a heavy sigh. "Iroh, what's wrong?" She asked. "Zuko's doing fine. The operation is over, and I'm visiting him now, myself." '_I've never seen him like this, not since the loss of his wife and son.' _

He looked up, and with sad eyes, had mentioned a few words. "I have bad news..."

Ursa took notice of his sad demeanor, which seemed to be outdoing her happy mood. Thinking that a special person's visit would cheer him up, she considered conveying the news before Iroh's bland atmosphere would rub off on her. "Well before you destroy both our days with bad news, I have some great news that you might love to hear!"

Iroh was glad, and had gestured for her to continue.

"Your dear aunt Brita...is within the compounds today!" Ursa tried to come up with a reason as to why she visited, without mentioning the book, "She came back to visit us all. Can you imagine, she hasn't seen Zuko or Azula since they were both toddlers." She gleefully mentioned.

_'What! But that's...impossible.' _"Fire Empress Ursa, are you sure you saw who you thought you saw?" Questioned Iroh. His demeanor had suddenly changed. It was beyond dark, and had held severe confusion in it.

The sudden use of the formality and the dark expression that Iroh cast, caused Ursa to falter in her step. "There was no 'thought' as to who I saw, Iroh. I spoke, and at length, with your aunt Brita. In this daylight, my eyes cannot deceive me, especially of one of who is so close to me." She defended.

The stance Ursa took removed the tension in Iroh's face, as the strength behind his words suddenly receded. "My lady, I was just conversing with your husband and the generals."

"What has that to do with aunt Brita and her presence?" She asked quietly.

"A subordinate of one of the generals, a scout patrolling the eastern border had discovered something...well, there was an accident on the cliff side of the Azura's Mount. My aunt Brita..." Iroh then heaved. His heart became sad once again as he recalled the information given to him. "...she was caught in a landslide and was buried alive..."

Ursa quickly covered her mouth in fright, stepping back. She had just spoken with the women, so how could she have died. "When was this?" The answer she expected had terrified her. '_Maybe she died after...after her presence here...?' _She then looked at the book in her hands with shock written into her face. '_But with the way Iroh placed his words, it's almost like she had died previous to my encounter...' _

She then shook her head in disapproval._ 'No, that's quite unlikely! She must have died after meeting with me, because I did converse with her. Though I truly believe it impossible for her to reach the mount in such short notice...and for Iroh to be aware of the accident so quickly is unfathomable. Could she have...died before...ludicrous!' _Ursa was convinced that it was truly impossible for her to die before hand, till Iroh relayed the bad news he had come to Zuko's ward with. Though the answer she expected would have struck her as terrible, what Iroh actually knew, and was about to answer with, horrified her.

"She died a week ago..." He said looking down. "Again, according to the scout, she was crossing the Mount to visit us, when her carriage was struck in a landslide. It is truly sad..." Iroh cast his dark expression again, "But you said she was here."

Ursa realized something. The strange anomaly for which she had disregarded, and the failure of her true presence during the entire conversation had started to take on more meaning than she previously associated it with.

She then recalled two very peculiar statements that Brita had mentioned, the recollection of which had started to frighten her.

"_As such, I knew it was my duty, whether **dead **or alive, to give it to you, the next daughter of Fire Empress Erah." _

"_And my time **here **has expired."_

_'Was her will to see me so strong, that she had crossed the border of life and death just to give me this book? If that's the case...then the situation is more dire than I imagined! Dear aunt Brita, what is in here?' _Ursa was starting to breath heavy, now aware of the fact, or the apparent fact, that it was not her dear aunt Brita that she had spoken with, but with the physical manifestation of her soul...her ghost.

"My Lady..." Iroh inquired. The confusion that scathed Ursa had started to disturb the tired man.

'_If I persist with Iroh that she did appear here, even with the adamant fact that a scout had found her body, then...I will have to admit details about the book, and aunt Brita may not want anyone to know she was here. But it was her ghost that came here...?'_, and with quick thinking Ursa had said the only words that would bring her out of the bind she was in. "Iroh...you're right. I must have missed aunt Brita so much that women who did visit me, well I could have switched her identity...I'm sorry about the confusion, and I'm even sorrier for your loss."

"Aunt Brita, was a great women, so her life in the afterworld should be a lot better than what this poor and beaten planet can offer. So it wasn't aunt Brita that was here?" Iroh asked, with his eyebrow arched.

"No...it was...just my imagination." Ursa said looking back down. _'Her ghost...' _ This fact, no matter how fast she had deciphered it, was something beyond her realm of the believable.

"Well...lets put that behind us for now. I wanted to see if my nephew is doing fine." Iroh finalized with a smile.

Ursa smiled back, and walked into the room. Iroh followed behind her, and the scene they had caught up with caused Iroh to chuckle. There in front of them was a lost prince, a princess and gymnast that couldn't hold back fits of laughter, and an embarrassed and angry needle thrower all collected in a giant room with other injured soldiers trying to fight off the ensuing laughter.

Azula turned around and tried to look at her mother without laughing. Feeling as though talking would make her heart fly out of her mouth, she struggled to convey the news. "Mom, you'll never guess what happened this morning...Mai acutally-"

Withholding the formalities to show her seriousness with the matter, Mai shrieked, "AZULA!"

* * *

**Post - - A/N 1:** _This is my first chapter in which I've introduced a personal perspective, and I hope it came out fine. Note that this story is actually a really sad story. I thought it was action/adventure/romance, and yes those elements are in it, but mainly, it is a tragic and suspenseful story. There is humor in it, don't worry. For more details, check my profile, and at the bottom is another description of the story, in a general sense._

**Post - - A/N 2: **_Throughout writing this chapter, the only songs I listened to were "11 – Corynorhinus" and "02- Eptesicus" by Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard for the Batman Begins Soundtrack, and "Hokage" and "Heavy Violence" by Toshiro Masuda for the Naruto Original Soundtrack III. _

_The first 3 songs are the basis for the story. These songs set the atmosphere, and ambiance behind everything. The last song, "Heavy Violence" was for when Zuko attempted the move his father had thought him, the ember sai._

**Post - - A/N 3: **_For a visual of the ember sai, well, remember when Zuko and Azula fight in the episode, "The Avatar State"? Well when he went to engage in combat, those flares that came out of his hands, those are what I dubbed the 'ember sai'._

**Post - - A/N 4: **_I want your opinion of story, and I'm sincerely serious. Reviews are a beautiful thing. To devote just a tidbit of your time, to write a reflection, a review, of what I write always makes my heart race. It always boosts my confidence, and it will always be appreciated! _


	4. A Lost Past

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "**_Avatar: The Last Airbender"_**, but I do own the storyline for this story and all elements that are not within the official realm of the funded story done by Nickelodean. I also don't own the first article about the statements by Thomas Carlyle

**Pre - - A/N 1: **_Thank you SO MUCH again Elenea for your motivating review! Also I deeply thank you for mentioning my story in your chapter of Prophesied. It was beyond my comprehension, the amount of courage I gained to continue to write this story! It just bolstered my morale, so thanks!_

**Pre - - A/N 2:**_If anything, this was one of my most favorite chapters to write. I tried to see if Azula could have ever been a good person. So I modeled her after my 4 year old cousin, the greatest kid in the world! I've added a new section called Side Notes. They are just miscellaneous information concerning my takes of different topics throughout the chapters. _

**Pre - - A/N 3: **_The story for this chapter was actually something that came out of an expansion of an idea. In other words, one small idea spawned its own chapter. I was going to mention a part of how close Azula and Zuko were, and it turned out that the only plausible time frame for this was in their past. _

**Pre - - A/N 4: **_I'm still developing the rest of the story, which has just become a lot more complicated to work through than I thought. Don't be surprised if there's a sudden stop in the release of each chapter for a while. Its only because I'm framing the rest of the story. _

**Pre - - A/N 5: **_Again, of primary importance, I sincerely hope you enjoy the next installment of Powerful Benders! _

* * *

"**_Powerful Benders"_**

**--IV--**

"_Nothing that was worthy in the past departs; no truth or  
goodness realized by man ever dies, or can die."_

- Thomas Carlyle _(1795-1881) _

**--Chapter 4:**_ A Lost Past--_

She was tired. She was nervous. And she was anxious. Ursa sighed, '_Why did she have to die though? Just when she came to visit us...her time had ended...I miss her...' _Ursa sighed again. It seemed the pain of loss had hurt her more especially with someone she hadn't seen for so long, than with one she was with, most likely because that person was taken away before any reunion could form.

She remembered what happened after Zuko was remitted from the infirmary.

* * *

His injury was sever, so severe that his arm had to be held in place by beams of metal tied with binding cloth to hold it down. He was not allowed to move that arm at all, especially with the muscle wounds, now tender due to the extreme strain placed on it. 

Though Iroh was happy that his nephew was fine, it was his eyes that tore the image of peace away from him. Zuko and Azula noticed this. Affliction radiated from his pupils and they opened a door to a spirit filled with loss. It was Ursa that had informed her children that their aunt had died, and though Zuko was saddened, especially for his uncle, Azula didn't care so much.

In pain Ursa saw her daughter shrug away the loss, an involuntary action that showed the growing darkness from her child's heart. Even though Azula would not openly say anything depreciative about their mutual loss, that action of hers, that only her mother caught, was a very dark sign. Ursa remembered turning her head quickly to see if Iroh had noticed. Fortunately he hadn't. It seemed the burden was on his shoulders, and his head was low, staring at the ground, because of it.

When they returned to the field, Ozai took notice and dismissed his gathering. He knew that Ursa had a deep connection with his aunt, so in realization of her death, he embraced his wife in a gripping hug, knowing that that was the best cure he could offer. Ursa had hugged him back knowing that, though his face was strong, his heart was faltering too.

Before Iroh had left to see his nephew, the first thing Ozai did was look towards his brother. Iroh had mentioned that Ozai had placed a strong hold of his shoulders, and had given him words of encouragement. Iroh was gratified by the utterance of promised hope.

Ozai canceled the training and had declared the day, with the sun now close to middle of the sky, as a day of mourning. The flag was lowered and an official announcement was made that a member of the royal family had passed away. After the inevitable discussion of funeral arrangements, the day drew to a close.

* * *

Ursa was now in bed. Her husband was asleep beside her while she herself contemplated the day's events. Throughout the entire ordeal, Ursa had never once forgot about her aunt, nor about the discussion she had with her. Though a bit unnerved by the visitation of her _ghost_, she had found comfort in knowing that Brita had seemed very ambient, maybe because, with the yoke now off of her brittle shoulders, she could find a passageway of peace, with no obstructions from traveling the many lands. 

Now that it was up to Ursa to decipher the mystery, and with the knowledge in her capable hands, Brita may have actually felt very confident in what she did, and so her soul was peaceful, with an air of ambiance around her as a result. _'It's now up to me..._,she sighed again. Her lips then tugged upwards, _'I'm truly happy for you...may your compassionate soul rest in peace.'_

Ursa looked at the balcony doors. This would be the fourth time that night.

The glass was brilliantly transparent, and the stars were beautiful as they hung in skies, their ever glorious glimmer, though so small in nature, were still beautiful. The moon, however, was what caught her attention. It was massive, almost as if it was closer, its overbearingly cold stare looking down upon the bruised body of the earth, having no emotions for the pain of its suffering partner in the ever eternal cosmos around them.

The door itself was a gift to the mother of Fire Lord Solzen, all those decades ago. The act of giving was an act of peace in itself between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation and was something of great magnitude. To Ursa, that door was a sign of that peace, a peace lost in the lurid and vile avenue that history had favored.

It was well kept, so it never looked out of place. Oddly enough, neither was this night. _'Dark as always, just like everything else_...' Despite the situations that arose today, that were very particular to this day, the night seemed to be the same, except for one thing.

Her children were asleep, and the servants were sent to their quarters as usual. But it was the fact that her husband was finally asleep beside her at night that was different. For the past very many nights, he attended war council meetings that dug right through till sunlight had alerted them to the presence of the next day.

Ozai would always sleep during the day, or at odd times when his schedule as a Fire Lord permitted him to do so. Those nights, Ursa was left by herself, thinking of life in general. Because of it, they both did not have the time to be with each other. But this night, he was with her. If anything was out of place, it was this very moment.

Ozai rustled in bed, unconsciously trying to find the most comfortable position to gain sleep. After the thirty war council meetings in the past five days, his mind and body were strained and stressed, so it was to be expected by his wife. Ursa was sitting against the soft matted backboard of her master bed staring at the dairy of her great grandmother.

Smirking, she put the book down to watch her husband throw his body from side to side and wrestle with the pillow, trying to find his most comfortable sleeping position. Ozai was mumbling something almost inaudible to her, but at one point she could make out a few of the words.

"Stupid bed...stupid pillow...," more grumbling, mumbling and shuffling around, "...stupid...stupid..."

_'Stupid stupid?' _She thought amusedly, staring at him.

Ozai then spun his body to the side, his form facing her, but his eyes were closed and his mouth agape as terrifying noises resounded from within, _'Ugh! How can I go to sleep with all that snoring?'_.

Ozai then stretched out his hands and it made contact with her soft skin. _'5, 4, 3, 2, 1,' _she counted, _'0'_. At that very moment the Fire Lord struggled to find more of that pleasant 'material,' or so he thought, and, finally, had achieved in finding the most comfortable sleeping position, _'as always...'_.

Ursa couldn't help but giggle, with her hand covering her mouth in an effort to try and not wake up the fatigued man.

In the end, Ozai's snoring had disappeared completely and was replaced by his rhythmical and gentle breathing, a slow, steady, and methodically paced rising and falling of the lungs. He was resting his head on her bare legs, and his arms were spread wide apart in happiness, with his legs hanging off the wing of the bed. His body was parallel to the backboard.

Ursa usually never saw this side of Ozai till when he was asleep or in deep and tranquil thought. Smiling affectionately, she placed a light hand on his powerfully built chest. Content with the upward and downward motion of her arm as his upper body rose into the air, only to drop back down as air was both taken in and exhaled, she returned back to examining the book, trying to decipher what her great grandmother had written.

-

_'It's dark tonight...more dark than usual...'_

Zuko was lying down on his bed. He left the windows closed, and the rice-paper that was covering it wasn't helping with the inky atmosphere in his room. However, his candle was. It was posted to the wall that was right in front of him when he was on his bed.

The fire upon the burning stem was always flickering in aimless directions, throwing out small plums of black smoke every so often. In essence, it was dancing for him, trying to liven his spirit. It was always there to give him light, warmth and, to Zuko, support. Never once did the flame die out, and even if the wind tried to push against it, it would still try hard to withstand. Such was the spirit of the unsinkable child watching its flame.

With its blue hued footing and the golden crown upon its feet, the flame danced for the child.

Zuko kept on staring. The loss of his aunt had seemed to bring out negative feelings from within him. '_Why do I feel like everything is getting so dark?' _He looked down at his hands in confusion, '_Where's my candle when I'm in the dark?' _ His thoughts wandered to a time long into his past.

When Zuko was a child, the war efforts had not put too much strain on his father. His mother was always smiling and his sister was always happy. '_My sister was always happy,_' he grinned.

Azula, when but a child with chubby cheeks, knew no evil, and knew not about the existence of war, was always cranky, was always whining, but had always loved the company of her family. At that time Zuko was not formally taught about the war, and since Azula never knew about it, the raven veil that was the truth of the world had never blinded them to the light that the world had offered.

Azula and Zuko, whenever they played together, they're spirits were merry, their hearts were weightless. But in time that light was taken away, _'Why? What happened...' _His thoughts flowed to the better times of the past.

* * *

**A time in the past...**

_The Fire Lord was slowly walking along the dash track, waiting for his children to arrive. His hands were held together behind his back, and his mind was occupied with the war. Looking above, he could see a v-formation of birds fly past him in the skies above. _

_With the rising sun, only their silhouettes could be made out, and they were wondrous. He stopped for a moment and watched them pass by. The lead bird had moved out of its position and retreated to the rear, while another bird took its place. It was funny how, no matter what, everything reminded him about the war. Or was it that the war was like everything else?_

_'I never want my children to see this...the true nature of this world...' He thought to himself. The war had raged for a decade yet Ozai remained a dearly loving father. His wife was there to offer him support, and he had his two beautiful and innocent children, both of which had reinforced his tender nature. _

_Ozai winced as he remembered something. Just as he was about to start seriously thinking of the siege in the which his dear brother and nephew would be involved, though, somebody had interrupted his thoughts. _

_He heard the sound of a person trying to clear her throat. Turning around, he saw his wife with his two children holding each of her hands. They were so innocent, so young and so small. _

_Ursa looked to her husband with a beautiful smile. "I introduce to you your first true students," she addressed her husband, and then looked to each of her children, "Students, this is your teacher." Ursa had prepared her children for this, busily dressing up her six-year old son, and five-year old daughter, before she brought them down to the track where Ozai was waiting for them._

_Both Ozai's children looked at him with gleaming smiles adorning their chubby and young faces. Zuko was up to his mother's hand when she placed it by her side, and Azula was a bit shorter. Both of them were outfitted with light infantry body armor, resized just for them. _

_Azula was swinging her mother's arm back and forth, interested in what was happening now. Zuko, however, lost his playful feeling. He remembered watching the soldiers as they trained under his uncle, and their time of enjoyment had seemed like it was lost much to far into the past. He snapped his hand to his forehead in a salute. "Reporting for training, sir!"_

_Azula, still holding onto her mother, looked past her and at her brother's stance. She then tugged at her mother's arm, "Mommy, do...I do that?" she asked pointing at Zuko._

_Ursa's eyes softened as she looked down at the young girl. 'Azula, you are so beautiful and so innocent.' She was about to answer her sweet child when Ozai suddenly erupted, "Atten-hut!" _

_Zuko's body tensed up, and he stood perfectly straight in a moment. 'Don't think, just concentrate on dad.' _

_Azula on the other hand was suddenly terrified. She quickly turned her head to her father at the instant he shouted, and staring just for an instant at his taut and stern face, she became frightened and hid behind her mother's leg. _

_Ursa was a bit startled by Ozai's command and Azula's sudden reaction. She looked at her child as Azula poked her head around Ursa's leg. Clutching onto her mother's flowing dress, she desperately tried to reason why he had screamed at them, 'Daddy...?'_

_Ozai looked towards Zuko and Azula. As usual, Zuko was driven, and his quick actions in trying to impress his father was proof enough. Ozai was happy. _

_Though built with an iron jaw on the outside, his heart melted having seen the fear in his daughter. 'This is just for fun...why are they so scared of me...?' Fully aware that his daughter was afraid, especially with the dismay in her eyes, he decided to cut the act. _

_He relaxed his posture and knelt down on one knee so that he was almost at eye level with his two children. He looked at them calculatingly, with his eyes narrowed, and with one of his arms on his knees. Slowly, like rain of a window, the tension slipped away from his face. His expression softened as he grinned, "Come here, you rascals!" _

_Zuko was taken aback, but smiled happily. Azula saw the warmth from her father and instantly beamed, running towards him. _

_As she tried to close the distance, she tripped over a rock. Flying forward she hit her face on the dirt, with a thud. Ursa's heart skipped a beat and her body instantly tensed. She drew in air, scared for her daughter and, in panic, tried to run forward. _

_Ozai's eyes widened in surprise, his face stricken and tried to get up quickly enough to get to her side. _

_However, at the end, it was Zuko who dashed ahead and knelt down beside her, holding her up by her shoulders. _

_Azula held onto her forehead and through closed eyes, had started to cry. "Its okay Azula. You're strong remember? You're a strong girl!" Zuko said trying to comfort her, while rubbing her back. _

_Ursa ran to her daughter, and kneeling beside her, had held her tightly, "Honey, are you okay?" Azula shook her head in the negative and fell into her mother's embrace, still crying. "Its alright honey. Its all right, you'll be fine," she said with a motherly hug, and a soothing hand running over her daughter's hair. _

_Ozai walked towards Azula. When he got to her side, she was still hugging her mother. It was as if Ursa was her shield, a shield from all her pain. If ever she needed help, her mother was there to protect her. _

_Zuko looked at his sister in sadness. He was scared for her and never wanted to see her in such pain. _

_Ozai ruffled his son's hair in encouragement, and then looked at his daughter, "Azula?"_

_She stopped crying and, still within her mother's protective embrace, she turned her head, and looked towards her father. Ozai had his arms outstretched and was on his knees, "How about a BIG hug for your dad?" _

_She wiped away her tears and looked at her mother with a smile. "Get him!" She said, poking her daughter's nose._

_Azula then ran towards her father and jumped onto him in happiness. Ozai stood up, and twirled her around in the air, holding her out, and enjoying the giggling coming from his daughter. "Wee!" She exclaimed, hands outstretched. _

_Zuko noticed their playful demeanor and jumped onto his father's back, laughing, "What is this, a counter attack?" Ozai managed to let out through his laughter. Ursa giggled, her life seemed so blissful._

_-_

_Time had passed, and once everyone was settled, Ursa had left them. She had managed to notice that her friend had appeared from inside of the palace walls and was watching the display of cheerfulness. Ursa looked towards her family, and realized that Asana, though happy, may have been pained by the remembrance of her better days, when both her husband and son were so much more closer to her._

_She went to the bench and sat down there, conversing with Iroh's wife. Iroh and Lu Ten, Iroh's only son, were by the border of the island, preparing for the siege of the largest Earth Kingdom stronghold. Asana was left behind, residing away from her home, and in the safety of the palace to avoid loneliness and fear. _

_-_

_His students sat patiently, cross legged. They watched him in complete devotion, ready to carry out every one of his words. _

"_Okay, children, listen up!" He smirked, "We're not going to perform anything scary or hard right now. Really, we're going to have a game. You're job is to try and catch me and the time that you do that is when you're ready for the next step. But try and catch me first. There's only one rule though...just have fun, got it?" Ozai looked to the center of the dash track. _

_The dash track was a large strip of even ground that joined at the ends to form a giant circle. It was essentially a pathway made for running. In the middle of the track was a large patch of green, where various other activities could be engaged in. "Now chase me!" He screamed and jetted off._

"_Huh? Not fair! Daddy, that's not fair! Come back!" Azula screamed, trying to get to her feet. Zuko hopped to her, and helped her up. _

_He looked at her and with strength behind his words, he spoke, "Okay, dad's really fast, right? So this is the plan. One of us is going to keep him busy and the other will sneak up on him. That way, we both win! Got it?" _

_Azula then tilted her head. "Who keeps him busy?" _

"_HEY KIDS! Are you just going to stand there or what?" Hollered the Fire Lord. His hands were by his side, impatience written in his posture, but his face sparkled with laughter._

_Zuko and Azula both looked up in amazement. Their dad had just cleared the field, in the instant he stood up. In determination, Azula ran towards her father, screaming. Her eyes were barely open as she madly dashed forward trying to get to him. Zuko smirked, and took off in another direction. 'Heh, I guess you'll keep him busy. With that I can head around and jump him!' _

_Ozai looked at his daughter as she desperately tried to run forward. In sadness he remembered all the times when he had to move to different islands to constitute plans for the different battalions. Because of it, he barely saw his children. He knew they would always love him, but as a father, he was not doing the right thing by leaving them in the hands of Ursa and without his support, all the time. 'I never see them anymore...I've missed them so much and yet time still takes them away from me.' He just couldn't resist the urge to stop running. Slowly the speed with which he crossed the tracks were slowing down to a simple jog. _

_Azula ran straight at her father and leaped onto one of his legs. Her tiny body clinged onto it as she giggled in happiness of finally passing the test. "I passed!" _

_Zuko ran at his father from the side, sprinting towards him, with the intention of closing the distance before his father was alerted. Rounding the corner before Ozai had the chance to get an eye on him, he leaped into the air and tackled his father...or so he tried. Zuko ended up hanging off of his shoulders, as Ozai merely took a few steps forward. _

_Their happiness had then turned to pain as their father suddenly grabbed onto his own chest, just over his heart. "Oh, you got me..." _

_Falling to his knees, Azula and Zuko quickly disengaged and stepped away from their father, frightened. Ozai hit the ground hard, 'Ooof, that wasn't supposed to happen.' In the eyes of his children, there laid their father, dead. His still and powerful body was embedded in the soft grass, his eyes were unmoving, and his chest never rose. _

"_D-Dad?" Zuko inquired, walking towards him. He poked his father in the side to see what his condition was. 'If I poke him, then maybe I'll know what's wrong with him,' he thought._

_Ozai opened one of his eyes just a bit and, after getting a lock on both his children, had instantly jumped up, grabbed them both and started to tickle them. _

_-_

_Ursa was watching her children from the distance, with a warm smile plastered to her face. Since Ozai's return, they had so much fun with him. He was always trying to make them gush with mirth, just like a father always tried to do. _

_Asana stared at her for a moment and looked towards the playing children. "There are things in this world worth fighting for...," she said. "I wish I returned back to that time." _

_She looked to Ursa, "When Lu Ten was barely three years old, he would always try and hide from me. He would sneak into the kitchen...," in remembrance she started to laugh, "...and climb the cupboards to try and get the honey milk. Whenever I found him, I just couldn't help but tickle the cheeky, little guy... But now he's grown and become a man, a proud symbol of our heritage as warriors...," she ended with a sigh._

"_Asana, those days aren't gone. They've just changed. When Lu Ten returns we'll have a great festival for his very first big victory. He may be a man, and a warrior, but to us, he is still your little child. To every mother, their child will forever be their baby." Ursa then had another idea as well, "I'll ask Ozai to hold out on placing anymore missions for him. He can be placed in conquest temporary relief and with that, you can return to those days passed," she said trying to encourage the depressed mother. _

"_Ursa...thank you." She smiled sadly. "Ursa, I want you to know something. Always be with them. Try to get as many memories as you can. I did, and even now, Lu Ten's absence pains me. If I never did take him to picnics, or showed him the attention that he always got from me, thinking that he would always be there, never leaving my side, I don't know what I'd do now."_

"_I'll tell you, Asana, you're son will be fine. He will return, and when the war is over, Iroh and Lu Ten will be yours forever, with no more of these sadistic battles to take them away from you. Everything will work out for the best." 'I hope...,' she thought to herself dismally . _

_Trying to shun away the bitterness in the air, she quickly changed the theme of the conversation, without changing the topic, "Since Ozai doesn't seem to be in the training mood that I thought he was in, we can talk to him now. It'd be best to get the ideas out as soon as possible, so that he can take the appropriate measures to assure you of these objectives."_

_Ursa stood up and called over to her husband. All Asana could do was watch the children play under the brightness of the sun. To her, her three year old son was playing with them too._

_-_

_Ozai heard his wife call to him. His children were now 'on top of the world,' trying to scan the ever expanding horizon from their view on top their father's shoulders. Placing them down, he told them that their training would resume when he returned._

_'Alright, a break! From a game! I love training!' Zuko had then remembered something. The last time he played a game with his father was on his birthday, the same day he received his first telescope. "Hey dad? Could I show Azula something?" Asked Zuko eagerly. _

_As Azula looked at her brother in confusion, Ozai nodded. Zuko yelped in happiness, took hold of his sister's hand and dashed into the palace. He couldn't help but smile as he watched them run into the distance. As soon as they disappeared into the palace walls, Ozai turned towards his wife._

_-_

_Clearing past the guards, Zuko and Azula ran into the main corridor. He stopped for a moment to look at its magnificence, as he always did, since the day he could walk. _

"_Why'd we stop?" She asked him. Azula then took notice of the room and sighed. 'Oh, he likes this room.' "Zuko? We better go and come back before daddy gets angry at us."_

_Zuko snapped out of his reverie as he remembered the training. "Oh right! Lets go!" _

_He ran towards the doorway of the South Wall and into the sleeping chambers. The guards, at the door, didn't mind the running six and five-year old, bolting through the palace walls. They were, of course, the Fire Prince and the Fire Princess. If anything, they were more worried about their safety, than they were about keeping the peace. _

_When Zuko reached the connected hallway, he took notice of his room and darted towards the door. He pulled it open and ran in. 'Where are you?' _

"_What are you looking for?" Asked Azula, still curious as to what her brother wanted to show her._

"_Hold on," he answered, with his tongue pasted to his lip as he searched, "I'm just looking for the telescope," he answered. Zuko was rummaging through the cabinets in his room, 'Where are you!' _

_The telescope was a device that allowed him to capture views from extremely distant, almost unreachable locations, and with it he caught some of the most beautiful views a person, pure of heart, could ask for. He had scanned the details of the terrifying volcanoes north of the palace, the intricate water ways of the islands further away, and even the grasslands of the border islands to the east. _

"_Huh? You have that...te...le...scope..? How?" She said rushing to his side._

"_One new captain gave it to me for my birthday. I think it was captain Jee." He said in delight. The minute he informed her of the source of the device, Zuko found the scope. It was far in the back of his homework drawer. Pulling out the magnificent, gold-lined, steel pipe, with the three telescopic lenses within its frame, Zuko held it in the air in happiness. "Behold...the telescope!"_

"_Woah..." Azula gaped. _

_Pulling on his sister's hand once again, he darted back out of his room, and headed for the main corridor again. _

"_When the captain gave this to me," he panted out, "I wanted to see what I could really see. I wanted to see past the islands, and into the world!" _

_Exiting out the South Entrance, he ambled towards the West Wall. "On the highest floor, I saw something really beautiful." _

_The guards there greeted the royal children, and after a quick "Hi!" from the both of them, Zuko and Azula had finally reached the elevator chute. _

"_You've never been on one, right?" Zuko asked his sister. She shook her head in the negative, and he grinned. Turning to the operator, he requested, "I want to go to the highest floor. The roof of Zoen's tower...please." _

_The women smiled and nodded at Zuko. She walked to the chute panel and opened the cage door to let him and his sister onto it. Looking towards the secondary operator who actually worked from within elevator, she smirked. This person, an actual soldier, was charged with the duty of taking care of the elevator occupants and assuring that they got to the right floor all the time, as well as being a guide in emergency situations. _

"_Remember, its your head if anything happens to them," she chuckled to the warrior. _

"_Ha...ha...very funny." He yawned, "You just can't stop saying that can you?" Turning to the kids, "Your highness', you requested the top floor, correct?" He asked just for verification._

"_Yup!" Zuko and Azula exclaimed. _

_Closing the door behind them, the operator turned to the control deck, and through the hollow communication tube, had yelled out the floor number. A confirmation answer was heard a few seconds later. _

_Azula looked at it in wonderment. The elevator was made of stone, with the inside cast in marble, and a candle off to the right. _

_-_

_Inside the elevator, Azula stared through the scope, looking at all details of the inside, of which she couldn't make out since the magnification was so high. She looked up at the man with the scope but couldn't see him either. Flipping it around, she looked again, and she jumped back, 'WOAH! He grew so tall! And why did everything run away from me?'_

_Zuko had counted the number of times the floor indication candles passed by, which by the end came to twenty-three. _

_The doors opened, and there stood the tower guards. They were dressed in different uniforms than the rest of the soldiers. Garbed in gold and black, with hues of red shading, the tower guards were much different. Aside from their demeanor, their spears were another giveaway, being much longer than the usual. As royal guards, they guarded the tomb of Zoen, a famous Sage during the Great War. _

_The guards welcomed the children with warm smiles, and a nod. They had saluted the secondary operator, who returned the action. Guiding the children off of the elevator he closed the door, heading for another floor. _

_Zuko and Azula stepped off the safety platform. Standing before them was the top floor of the tower which, in itself, was not really a tower, but instead a very high, very long building. It to was adorned with the same beauties that decorated the lower floors of the palace, and as such, was just as mesmerizing to Zuko. _

_The hallway had ultimately lead to the sage's tomb, but off in another direction was a staircase to the rooftop. Azula had never seen the place before, and knowing she was so high up, she couldn't help but want to see what the world was like from her view. "Zuko, can we go up? Please?"_

_He could only grin, "That's exactly where we're heading. This is where I saw what I saw!" _

_Azula beamed at him, her wide grin only making Zuko that much more determined to show her. 'You're the greatest sister ever! You deserve everything.' _

_Running up, they noticed two watchmen and the skies above them. They were armed with bows and arrows at hand with one having a giant crossbow loaded to his rear vest tethers. With red oil on their index and middle fingers, and a dark crimson face paint cast over their faces to form the searing image of the eyes of an angry beast, the Yuu Yan relaxed for a moment. Waving to the children, both soldiers eyed them carefully, making sure nothing would happen to them. They were royal children, six and five-years olds, and they were playing in the highest levels of the palace, so one needed to be careful. _

"_Wow..." Azula slowly let out. The sun had removed itself from the support of the horizon, hanging strongly in the sky and the birds could be seen migrating to the Chiyas Jungle, east of the main islands. With the height they were at, she could actually see the underbellies of the clouds more closely than ever before. 'If I could go higher, I could see if they were made of marshmallows.' She then turned to Zuko, "Zuko, are clouds made of marshmallows?" _

_Zuko stared at her in disbelief. "Oh come on, Azula. Marshmallows? No way. They're made of cotton," he said, adamant in his words, and nodding his head up and down. _

_Azula stared at him awkwardly. "Huh? Really?"_

"_Yeah. See when the birds fly over them, you never see them eat the clouds. That's because their not marshmallows. They must be cotton." Zuko tried to justify._

"_Lightening bolts come out of cotton?" Azula then started to panic. "But, we're wearing cotton. We'll get electro...uh...shooted!" _

_Becoming thoughtful, Zuko reflected, "Oh, never thought about that..." He looked back towards his sister, and seeing her in the state she was in was starting to worry him. 'Lightening can't come out of cotton. I've never been struck...Oh, I've never been struck in a thunder storm either...,' he thought, starting to get nervous himself. He looked at the amused archers and inquired. "What are clouds made of?"_

_The archer without the crossbow quirked his eyebrow and then tried to explain, "Clouds...heheh, well their definitely not marshmallows or cotton." He got down to one of his knees and looked up, "In actuality, water and air are the main constituents of the massive bodies above us. Their composition is based primarily off of water, but at that altitude, the condensation temperature or pressure can't be reached, so water tends to stay in a state of a gas, and-" Saying anymore would confuse the kids, so he was cut off, by his partner, with a slap to the head._

"_Idiot! They're not going to understand that! I don't even understand that! Look at them, they're kids!" He tried to reason._

_The archer turned to the children. _

_Zuko was dumbfounded. His eyebrows were high, and his arms were limp. 'What?' _

_Azula looked like she was going to cry. 'Not marshmallows...?'_

_He suddenly started laughing hysterically waving his hands in defense, "Well, actually clouds ARE made of cotton...," he was about to conclude, but he quickly took notice of the sad eyes of the little girl, "...and marshmallows, of course!" He quickly added and finally concluded, laughing._

_Azula smiled in gratification of the fact that, indeed, clouds were made of marshmallows._

_The archer's eyes became serious again as he remembered why they questioned the composition of clouds in the first place. "How they create lightening, well, you see, if you heat the air to a high enough temperature a phenomenon occurs, whereby ionization-" Another slap to the head. "Okay, I don't know...anything. I'm sorry. But, you don't have to worry about lightening, because...," he trailed off, as he watched his friends hand rise into the air again. "Heheh...yeah, just don't worry about that," he addressed the kids._

_Zuko looked up at them. 'They look so tired,' he noticed, 'maybe that's why they don't know what their talking about.' "Well, thanks anyways!" _

_The archers nodded, and let the kids off to do what they came up here to do. They then continued to look past the mountains, waiting for anything lurid to appear, like a rogue battalion, or a surprise attack. Their thoughts never differed from these two options, and their encounter with the children was the only event that broke their diamond hard stares. _

_Zuko walked along the roof pathway, with Azula right behind him. The view was beautiful, with the sun rising high above their heads. The beams of light penetrated the sea of clouds, and to the children, it was very captivating. _

_Zuko looked down in concern for a second, "Hey Azula, its kinda crazy, what I'm going to say, but I really think that there's...well, ice, on one of the islands. Ice that doesn't melt. Or...ice that won't melt." Zuko said, unsure in his words._

_Azula was skeptical as well, "Ice? I thought ice was where it was cold. Its hot here." _

"_It is, but if there's too much ice, then...maybe it takes a long time to go away?" Both of them thought of it for a moment and then shrugged off the details. _

_Zuko and Azula reached the end of the path. She pulled herself to the railing and tried to see below the edge. _

_Beyond the wooden frame rails, and the beautiful stone statues of two Fire Nation warriors greeting the sun, there, in front of their views was the forward edge of the Fire Nation capital island. In front of the wings of the island stood more surfaces above the water, gathered together in the 'arms' of the mainland of the Fire Nation. _

_Many of the islands were populated, with troops stationed at every beach head. Within the confines of the shores, there were many trees, plants and grass, and this was all because of the rich nutrients in the soil, bringing the land to life with lush greenery everywhere. Azula could not stop gawking at its awesomeness._

_Zuko's attention was diverted from the front though. His eyes stared at the horizon to the left of where Azula was viewing. In his sight, beyond the Volcanoes of Amre, were more islands, of which he knew nothing about, not even of its populace or its general existence as a land of inhabitance. _

_'Wow...,' Azula turned to smile at her brother, wanting to thank him for bringing her up here, but as she turned to him, she was surprised to find out that he was actually looking in a completely different direction. _

"_Hey Azula, pass the scope," he requested his younger sister, without turning._

_She held it out for him, curiosity in her eyes. _

_After taking hold of the instrument he placed it over his eyes. He squinted and constantly spun the inner tube to try to bring the island into focus. Desperately he scanned the immediate surroundings of the area he was looking at, trying to find his target._

_Gliding from right to left, surveying every island, Zuko was concentrating, intent on finding that specific island. "There!" he said, pointing straight out into nothingness, or so it seemed to the young girl._

_Azula shielded the sun from her eyes, and tried to see where Zuko was pointing. She squinted her eyes as well, but finally gave up. Huffing she looked at her joyous brother, "Zuko, I don't see anything."_

"_Oh," he laughed, "you need the scope," he said, handing it to her. Zuko got down on one knee and offered Azula a chance to stand on it. _

_Azula placed a hand on his head, and climbed onto his knee. Once she stood up, she tried to get a balance standing with one foot on his knee, and the other on the guard rail edge. She was far from danger though, since the guard rail wasn't at the lip of the roof, but instead several feet from it. It was a safety precaution, especially with kids like them toying with these dangerous settings. _

_Azula then stood fully on the edge, with her brother acting as support. Zuko tried to show her what he was pointing to. "You see that island over there? Its the small one that's in front of the two big ones."_

"_Which one? You mean the island over there?" asked the curious girl. She grasped the scope with both hands, and with one eye closed, she struggled to find an island that would seem interesting. "Zuko? I can't see anything special."_

"_Are you looking past the volcanoes?" He asked._

"_Yeah. There are islands way out there. But..." She trailed off as she continued to search. _

"_Yeah, over there! See, past the shoreline, there should be this HUGE valley!" He said, throwing out his arms to display the apparent size of it. _

_That bit of detail caught her attention, when her scope then dipped just a bit lower. "WOAH! I see it! I see it!" She screamed. In awe she could only gawk at the presence being captured by the scope. "Its so big..." She trailed off, "...like a whale or something." _

_Zuko then inquired, "I think it must be bigger. Okay, now you see that wall that's blocking it?" _

"_Its huge! Its all white, Zuko. Is that the ice? But, there's something behin-" Azula instantly froze. It had seemed that her senses, unable to comprehend the beauty of lands before her, had started to run into overdrive, trying to find out what feelings to match with the gravity of the land's brilliance._

"_It is...beautiful." He said, nodding, with eyes closed. 'I am impressive. Heheh!' Azula agreed with him, nodding her head too._

_-_

_What both the children saw was something even bigger than what words could explain. Its raw beauty was unimaginable and the only description that could even do justice to it were held by the spirits above. On the first island, just before the major islands that composed the Islands of the Northern Air Temple, was a purely gorgeous spectacle, even more appreciable in nature when close to it. _

_The islands they stared at were the Lands of the Northern Air Temple. Beyond the golden shoreline, and the necklace of seashells that sparkled with the flowing tides, were two massive mountain lines that ran beside each other for miles on end. Their breath was unbelievably long, spanning the entirety of the island. The slopes of the mountains were split asunder by a lush and abundant valley, separating the mountains by a few miles. _

_But not was the pleasant greenery that beautified the lands surface the interest of the children. Beyond that, almost in the middle of the running mountains was a glacier of titanic proportions. It had completely run right through the valley, cutting across its long neck, only to connect both mountains in a bridge of ice that was as high as the summits of the mountains themselves. The thickness with which this behemoth of a glacier had dared to hold down to was that of almost a few miles in itself. _

_The glacier acted as a monstrous plug. The two islands after the forward welcoming island had a channel of water that ran between them that ultimately split into two parts when all three islands had met. Some of that water was directed into the valley from the rear of the forward island, between the monumental mountain tops. The surface of the water had almost reached the mountains peaks, and was held back from flooding the island by the herculean glacier before it. _

_Such was the spectacle that both the children had mesmerized over. A mammoth block of ice was holding back a sea of water, held in by gargantuan hilltops that spanned for miles. It was a sight for sore eyes. Unbelievable!_

_-_

_Azula had finally put down the scope. Her chubby fingers grasped onto it tightly since it was the only thing that could show her the beauty of the world. _

_Well, there were two things that could show her all this. The second of which was standing right behind her, making sure she would never fall. _

_Turning around she jumped onto her brother, and placed him into a huge hug, her arms barely able to enclose her brother's shoulders. _

_Zuko was taken aback for an instant, but had hugged her back. 'What's with the hug...?'_

"_Thank you so much, Zuko." She beamed at him. _

_He laughed as he released her, his joyousness pouring out of his grinning face. Zuko's head then perked up as an idea occurred to him. "Hey Azula, since we're probably the first ones who's ever seen this thing, lets name it!" He said excitedly. _

_  
"Yeah!" Azula jumped, but then she started to ponder, "What do we call it?" she asked holding up a finger._

_"Well..." Zuko looked down in wonder. 'What's a good name...? Okay, since we both found it, and it looks like that...lets call it...," his eyes widened, "The Bridge of Our Peace!"_

_"Woah, I like it!" She cheered, but as she recalled the name in her head she wondered what the title meant. She then voiced her concern, "But, what's that mean?"_

"_The ice is the bridge between the two mountains, right? So, no matter what, even if we're always far away from each other, like on those mountains, we'll always be together because of that bridge. It'll connect us, and keep us together. Fighting and mean people can't get us, so we'll always be safe. Its the bridge of our peace," he smiled at her._

"_I'll never say this anyone else, I pinky swear, so here goes! You're the greatest big brother in the entire world!" She smiled back at him._

_Zuko, startled by the statement, could be no happier in his life. _

_

* * *

_

Zuko continued to stare at the dancing flame, wondered by its form, seemingly so light and agile. He sat up, his back against the frame of his bed, and his head down in sadness. Those memories had hurt him a lot, since those days were now taken away from him. The strain on his father grew as the years passed, and his mother's happiness only diminished.

But the reason his heart hurt the most when dreaming of those years past, was because that little girl that once loved him so much, was lost to the war. She was the one person that, at one point in time, had always run around the palace with a grin plastered to her face that reached both her ears.

_It was genuine. It was real. It was fed with happiness. It was beautiful. It was what made her beautiful._

Her young and adorable face had melted everyone's heart. Her innocence was beyond dazzling, and above all, she had loved her brother just as much as he loved her. Zuko would have gone to the ends of the earth and back, and would have sacrificed his own life at the same time, just to know that she would always be safe.

But, now..._'Its not the same as it was in the past. She's changed. I've changed. Everyone's...changed. Its all become darker...' _

"War..." he sneered in disgust. "You make everything darker. You take away our candles. You took away my sister..."

_'Why did it all change? War! Why it did all disappear? War! Why is it so dark? Why is everyone so sad? What happened? War! War! WAR! Since we've learned about you, everything has been getting darker.' _Zuko had balled his hands into fists, and trembled in anger.

He had created a 'thing' that personified war. It was a dark, ruthless and vile, unidentifiable being, whose face was fully cloaked by a dark hood with his body hidden by ravenous dark garments with shredded ends that dragged across the grounds with which he wandered. The being had a sword in each arm, and he hummed constantly, a low, deep monotonous tone, with heavy breathing as his accents.

This was his tormentor. Zuko had named it _War._

His dear and beloved sister, the one person he had cared for more than the world itself, Azula, was taken away from him, all because of it. As soon as she gained knowledge of its existence, her heart slowly started to turn black, a murky mist shrouding it in obscurity. His sister's heart started to forever lose the innocence it was once guided with.

_'And I hate it!' _ In anger, he threw his body back into a position to sleep. Flicking his fingers, the candle flame was doused. He turned to his side, and blanketed himself with the cover, trying desperately to find refuge in sleep. With so much on his mind, this night wouldn't be a good one to study, _'restudy...,' _history.

It was ironic that the tree outside Zuko's room was a weeping willow. Its branches were swayed by the wind and the harmonious hymn founded by the rustling leaves and the ghostly whistle of the breezy night air drove the young prince to sleep...fate did have sympathy at times.

* * *

_**Side Notes:** Elevator System_

**T**he elevator system was fairly new. It was introduced a few years before Zuko and Azula were born. The system's internal workings were simple and functional. At the top of the tower, at the highest level, was a steel wheel, that acted as a pulley. A massive, multi-layered, intertwined steel cable ran over the wheel and at both its ends, held two separate weights. The first weight was the elevator, which weighed a few pounds more than a Komodo Rhino. The other weight, was a giant steel ball, that weighed a lot more than the elevator itself.

The cable was extremely long, such that when both the elevator and the counter weight were at the same level, they would be located half way to the top of the tower, despite the support being at the top. The elevator and counter weight ran on two separate guide rails that were heavily lined with very thick grease. The guide rails for the counter weight were fully enclosed, acting as a pipe, and along with the greasing, a thick liquid was filled in there.

When the lock on the counter weight was released, the counter weight would glide down the rail, slowed by both the greasing and the liquid. Because it was heavier than the elevator and the occupants, it would be the one to slide down raising the elevator up. To select the level to stop off at, the operator at the bottom floor would pull on the appropriate lever, and a steel wall would eject within the guide rails of the counter weight to stop it from dropping any further. With the weight stopped, the elevator stops and the occupants get off.

When the occupants got off and when the elevator needed to come down, a weight would be added to the elevator by the operator on that floor. Since the weight was heavier, the elevator would lower, raising the counter weight. When the right floor was reached, such as the main floor, the lock would be engaged, keeping the steel ball from dropping.

The added weights on the elevators would then be taken off the elevator so that the elevator could rise again. The problem was that it was necessary to give the weights back to the appropriate floor. The floors only had a limited number of them. To do so, they used a steam chute, where the weight would be placed in a pipe-way, with a controlled hatch. When the hatch opened, steam would send the weight to the appropriate floors. To stop it from going any higher, a steel wall was used to limit its altitude. When reaching the wall, a second one was ejected to hold the weight and cut the steam.

The chute system wasn't used for the elevator because sending the elevator down would mean either dropping it from its floor, or controlling the steam output using advanced mechanical controllers to control the speed of the elevator drop.

The occupant would know which floor they were on because at every floor was a lit candle. The elevator had a tiny peep hole in it that allowed the candle light to come in every time the elevator passed it. Keeping count told you what floor you were on.

It was extremely smooth, and extremely clean. Since the highest floor was the 23rd floor, the elevator was necessary, so that building the stairwell would not be. In addition, doing this helped the engineers of the Fire Nation to better learn the properties mechanical systems.

The elevator system was a present to the Fire Lord.

**Side Notes:** _Air Nomadic Northern Temple_

**I**t was located on the islands of the past-established Northern Air Nomads. Before Saze had enigmatically, and homicidally murdered their empire, the Air Nomads were divided into two interrelated, and beneficially mutual sects. The first were the citizens of the Air Nomads. They were regular villagers that farmed, and lived happy peaceful lives, living on the border of the Earth Kingdom closest to the Northern Water Tribe. The second were the monks of the Air Nomads, residing on the vast islands on the world. The villagers had always provided food to the monks, and their children could choose which sect was appropriate for them. In all cases, every air bender was sent to become a monk. In return, the monks were sent to the villages to provide excessive help and protection from danger.

* * *

**Post - - A/N 1:** _This story is becoming so much more that I thought it would be. Because of the extra detail here and there, VERY important story elements have started to come into being. Though it was just an expansion of a VERY small idea, this chapter was written with a deep connection to emotions and, as such, now has EXTREMELY important and symbolic details, which you'll see in the later chapters._

**Post - - A/N 2: **_Throughout writing this chapter, the only songs I listened to were "11 – Corynorhinus," "02- Eptesicus" and "04 – Barbastella" by Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard for the Batman Begins Soundtrack. _

**Post - - A/N 3: **_I REALLY HOPE that this depiction of Azula is realistic and possible. Tell me if you don't think so. I know that no one is evil from the beginning of their life, and so I recognized that Azula must have been a great person in the past, but that something dark tainted her heart later on. By the way the island they were looking at through the scope was part of the white islands north of the Fire Nation islands. Specifically, it was the white island that was the closest to the Fire Nation islands. You can see it on the official map of the "Avatar: The Last Airbender" world. Also, few might wonder how Zuko could have recalled a past that detailed. Well, its true that there were perspectives that Zuko could not have possibly known about at that time, like his father waiting for them in the beginning, and each of their feelings, and countless other stuff. Though Zuko was thinking about the same past, the depiction of the past was not a recollection of the past, but my retelling of it. That section of the past, was actually a story from the past, and thus contains all the details that a regular telling of the story would have, like the feelings of many characters, and their actions and words.  
_

**Post - - A/N 4: **_A review to me is like a drop of rain in the harsh deserts. When I see it, I jump for joy, and rush towards it before its value evaporates on the hot dry surface. I'm not desperate, I just like reviews!_


	5. The Sun and Earth Divide

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "**_Avatar: The Last Airbender"_**, but I do own the storyline for this story and all elements that are not within the official realm of the funded story done by Nickelodean. I also don't own the first article about the statements by Albert Szent-Gyorgyi.

**Pre - - A/N 1: **_Again, of the most importance, credits to reviewers! Thank You so much Elenea for another review that totally uplifted me, as your reviews have always done! And not only that...Thank You Midori Aoi, for your most dazzling review. To have actually taken the initiative of reading four chapters (with so many words) that didn't have such an inspiring review number, means a lot to me! And finally, Wilderness-Writer! You wrote the first Avatar fanfic I ever read and one of the first fanfic's I ever loved, and for you to actually review my work, is jaw-dropping! Thank you all! If eyes could sparkle, mine would be like giant fire crackers!_

**Pre - - A/N 2: **_According to Wilderness-Writer, AN's belong at the bottom of the chapter, entirely. As such, this will be the final chapter to have this many Pre-Notes like this. From now on, the Disclaimer, the music inspirations, and my final note before reading the chapters will be located at the top. The "Thank You's", the chapter details, and the ending notes will be posted after the chapter's end. _

**Pre - - A/N 3: **_Now, the themes for this chapter are well conveyed through, "11 – Corynorhinus," "02- Eptesicus" and "09 - Nycteris" by Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard for the Batman Begins Soundtrack, and "The Sortie of Scotland Yard" by Steven Jablosky for the Steamboy Soundtrack. However, the song that truly captures this as well as the next set of chapters, is done no better than this one, "Nostromus" by Immediate Music._

**Pre - - A/N 4: **_This story is written to help me develop the proper initiatives to writing real and inspiring publications and to witnessing the hardships of writing a story. It is also written for your entertainment, so please, enjoy yet another chapter of Powerful Benders. _

* * *

"**_Powerful Benders"_**

**--V--**

"_A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind."_

- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi _(1893-1986) _

**--Chapter 5:** _The Sun and Earth Divide--_

In the slow process, as it had been for the past very many years, the light of the sun that began to rise in the east had started to burn the heavens above that had encased it in its eternal travel through the skies of the earth. The skies itself were black to the west but as the presence of the star took its place before the lands of the Fire Nation, it began to temper and burn the skies till it cooled to a beautiful azure, with a faint orange glow coming from the horizon. Minutes passed as the beast of fire slowly started to rise after a night of restful sleep. In its glory the light erupted through the lands, and lit all the dark corners of the earth...just like it would do to the truth hidden by the curtain that engulfed the world.

Thus was the morning of the Fire Empress. She creaked open her eyes only to stare outside the window into the abyss of the still slumbering world over to the west. _'Its still dark on that side of mother earth...,' _she said to herself.

It was amazing, to feel the palm of the sun's rays on her face, and yet on the other side of the world, to see darkness still in prevalence. Many thoughts of the coming days rushed to her head, and Ursa wanted to just roll out of bed, as she had become accustomed to, but as it had been for all the nights that she did sleep with Ozai, which were rare now, she couldn't. The Fire Lord had draped a protective arm over her body and was pressed tightly against her, holding her as close as he could. His love for her was apparent even in the realm of the unconscious. He slept with a resounding peace within him that she didn't want to disturb.

Ursa tilted her head a bit to see part of her husband's head buried into her soft hair. She knew that both she herself and her husband had duties to accomplish for the day, of which hers started at an earlier time, and she had to initiate the preparations for the days to come as well, so Ursa had to get out of bed. She gently lifted his arm just enough to pull herself out and then had laid it back down.

Ursa swept herself out of bed and looked back towards her husband. Ozai's chin crumpled as he started to grumble, annoyed by the lack of heat that his wife provided. She bent over to kiss her husband on the forehead and then directed herself to the washroom to freshen up as usual. In the distance, the Fire Empress could hear Ozai start to quiet down, while he shifted in bed to compensate for the loss of comfort when Ursa left his side. She smiled, for these mornings were as rare as a peaceful day.

-

"Quickly! The Lady will be here in a matter of moments!" Whispered the lead imperial-attendant. A block of attendants took the order with robustness and stood straight and in a line forming the first column. "C'mon! Hurry," he said ushering over the next block of attendants to form up, parallel to the first block, ready to receive the orders of the morning.

While the lead attendant directed everyone to their briefing positions, he kept on repeating the importance of the next few days to provide a backdrop for his sense of urgency, "The funeral service is to be held in a matter of days, of which we must fully, and I mean ridiculously, be prepared! We shouldn't let the Lady down!" By the time he was done, he stood in front of seventeen blocks, each containing five attendants.

_'I swear we have another twenty minutes before she arrives...that sundial must be falsifying the time...,' _"But sir, I think that sundial is out of-" tried one of the servants, but was interrupted as the lead attendant looked straight at her.

"Hush, hush! There is no time for debate. The Lady will be here soon, so just stay quiet and in line!" He commanded, with a vein profusely throbbing on his forehead.

The servant huffed, and crossed her hands in aggravation, "Fine!" She mentally stuck out her tongue at him, for good measure.

The lead attendant let out a sigh of relief noting that the sundial was just a few minutes away from indicating the first shift. _'Everything is perfect!' _He thought happily. If the morning ran this smoothly, then the rest of the day would be blameless.

He turned around to await the presence of the Lady, but was stunned to see that she was already there, watching the servants for what seemed like a few seconds already. "Mi-milady!" stuttered the lead attendant.

Ursa stood at the entrance of the South door, holding her great grandmother's book, and staring into the main corridor where the attendants awaited her presence. Her usual garments were replaced with crimson red and black apparel and just as herself, she noticed that the servants, as well, were dressed in the appropriate clothes to suit the unfortunate occasion that was to occur in a few days.

The Fire Empress caught sight of the startled and surprised faces of all the servants, especially the lead. She herself was surprised, and looked down, trying to remember the time depicted by the sundial on her balcony. As she recalled, she was much earlier than usual, _'So why are they here so early...?' _

Ursa scanned around her and the group itself, missing the fact that the lead attendant was two steps away from his predesignated position. Baffled, she assumed that the servants were ambitious about the forthcoming events. "Honestly, there's no need to worry," she reassured them all, "if we stick to the usual schedule, we're not going to fall behind, even with the changes."

The lead attendant relaxed his shoulders and corrected his position, mistaking the statement as a means of forgiveness for his tardiness. "Its not that I'm worried, milady," he said breaking out his stupor, "But you have just caught us in a state of belatedness. This one morning was meant to flow as smoothly as possible, in response to the occasion to take place in the next few days. With us still not ready for your arrival, it shows that the carrying out of all the events to come has not started out well," he drooped.

_'But they're ludicrously early...!' _Ursa looked past them and stared at the device that relied on the sun to tell the time, _'Oh...' _She giggled a bit, "If you're referring to the time using the sundial, then you're actually many minutes early yourself," she said pointing to the device.

"Pardon?" The attendant was startled. He, as well as the other attendants, turned around to observe the sundial with which they used to allot the appropriate duties to be performed for the day. They all noticed that the spike was actually tipped over at a very odd angle. "Oh..."

A faint, "I told you so...," was heard from within the blocks.

"The governor's daughter, Mai, was using it as a throwing needle, yesterday," Ursa giggled. She walked over to the sundial to correct its position, to avoid the case where any other would be tricked by its improper orientation. She reached over for the spike, a very sharp stone-blade, with a light coating of gold that shimmered under the sun's stare, and she gently attempted to adjust it, while addressing the servants. "Anyway, this day and the days to follow till the funeral- ouch!" Ursa reacted after the blade had nicked her thumb. She looked back at her hand and had noticed the tiny cut.

"Milady!" exclaimed the lead attendant. With the exception of one servant, who had run in the opposite direction towards the medical ward to acquire the needed bandages, the remaining servants all rushed to her side, and had tried to observe the cut.

Ursa, though happy with their genuine concern, was amused by the situation. "It's all right, just a tiny cut, that's all it is," she said trying to settle their uneasiness.

In the moment she completed her sentence, one of the servants had weaved through the crowd with a cloth, a clip, and some water within a divided basin. Using the water to cleanse the cut, with the residual liquid flowing to the other side of the bowl, the servant carried through with the procedure with thorough and benevolent care. Placing the bowl down, she had then placed the cloth over her finger and used the clip to bind the bandage in place.

"Thank you, Zara," Ursa smiled compassionately.

The female servant brightened at the kind gesture of the Fire Empress, both in gratitude of being addressed by her name and for being recognized among the many attendants present. However, since her speech was heavily impaired, of which Ursa knew, Zara could only smile back. She stepped aside as the Empress took to her feet.

"Thank you all for your concern. It warms my heart deeply to know that such kindness resides in you all. But, as I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted," she stated, glaring at the blade, which earned her a few laughs, "the days to follow until the funeral's advent will be carried out differently, as you all might have suspected. The services and duties will be centered for the arrival of the procession, as well as the accompaniment and completion of what is required during our usual operations."

Before she continued, she looked down a bit, as a very slight bitterness drew at her heart. _'I hope Zuko's fine now...,' _she thought to herself dishearteningly. To Ursa, it wasn't his arm or any of the events that took place yesterday that she was worried over, but something entirely different.

"Milady, is something wrong?" inquired one of the servants.

-

Zuko ruffled in bed violently. He twisted and turned, rummaging his sheets, with despair etched into his face as he tried to find the end of his nightmares through a nonexistent path. Despite the show of affection that Ursa provided for her child earlier in the morning, Zuko, a short time after her departure, had started to recede back to his strained demeanor.

_'You've won this battle, child... But whenever you sleep, we will engage in combat till I succeed...' drawled a very deep and dark voice._

_'Can't you just leave me alone? I've never done anything to you!' Screamed the boy in return to the threat._

_'You have...,' there was a long pause before the being continued, 'You have taken it upon yourself to create me...'_

Zuko's eyes ripped open instantly and his body shot out of the sleeping position it once assumed. He was breathing heavily, and his heart was pounding within him, with every hit feeling like a hammer blowing right through his chest. Zuko, suffering from his still, ever-present, nightmare, started to break down very quietly, his tears rolling down his cheeks and falling onto his bedsheets, and his hands crushing the sheets that covered him. He desperately tried to reassure himself that it was all just a dream, _'...a nightmare...,' _but that it was still just an incarnation of his imagination and nothing more than a daydream at night, even though it was one that occurred once every few weeks

It was very early in the morning, with the sky still brightening, as the night blue on the west merged with the bright orange in the east. He had woken much earlier than he was supposed to, and he knew that his sister and father must have still been asleep. Zuko rolled over to his side, and looked at the sky through the open window. He was happy for the developing brightness. As it was, he didn't want to sleep right now anyway.

-

Ursa, after reassuring her attendants that everything was all right, and after specifying all the duties that had to be accomplished for the day, dismissed the group. She turned around and headed for the South Wall, with the intention of checking on her son, as a slight discomfort overtook her.

While venturing back to the sleeping chambers, Ursa recalled what happened in the morning. As she had for the past many years, every morning, before she met the attendants, she would quietly walk into her childrens' rooms and open the rice paper cover, to allow a fresh breeze to cool down the sleeping quarter without waking them up. It was when she visited Zuko's room that she noticed that her first born was very disturbed in his sleep. It wasn't that he was acting strangely, but more that he was strained. She remembered giving him a gentle kiss to the forehead, which seemed to calm him down, before she departed his room to meet the attendants.

Ursa, by now, had reached the door of Zuko's room. There was no audible sound other than the breathing of her son. She quietly opened the door, and was startled as she saw his open eyes staring out into the sky and focusing on its detail. "Sweetheart?"

Zuko slowly looked up at his mother and smiled. He didn't have be say anything, as it was his eyes that were now speaking to her.

Ursa was worried about him, more than she was about Azula, for she knew that he had been having these nightmares for some time now. Looking into his eyes, Ursa was drawn to a time almost a year ago, for the very makeup of his eyes were the same as _that_ time.

* * *

Being the son of the Fire Lord, and an innocent child at the same time, Zuko tended to bury his problems inside of himself to try and hide the pain he always suffered from, in an attempt to show strength over mercy. Because of his persistence with such an unfounded concept, he had never come up with the thought of telling his mother of his reappearing nightmares. But his heart could only hold so much strength, and when he was nine years old, that state vanished, as his trouble with the nightmare overwhelmed him.

Ursa always knew that something was wrong with her first born. Zuko had seemed to be more afraid of the nights ever since he went into deep thought about the reason for the loss of life, and had insisted on putting a small candle basin right in front of his bed. Yet despite his odd behavior, and despite all the reassurance that Ursa could provide, Zuko never said anything and since there was a lack of anything else she could do, Ursa had to struggle to watch her son become more and more fearful of the nights.

At _that_ night, though, things changed for the better.

Ursa was resting on the side of her bed, alone, looking through the balcony doors as she tried to sleep. It was darker outside than some of the more normal nights, due to the sky being blanketed by a bedding of clouds. Her husband was off on a contingent logistics meeting on an island west of the Fire Land Islands.

The Fire Empress' mind, however, could not find sleep, as her thoughts were constantly preoccupied with something of greater importance, Azula's playful, yet growingly violent nature. Her daughter had been enrolled into the Royal Academy a few years ago and was subjected to the new curriculum that was implemented, coincidentally, after her peaceful son passed those levels. With the war on the scales beyond anything measurable, the new curriculum was a plan, introduced recently, to allow the young to develop a mind set that dealt with war.

As such, at a very early age, and along with the fact that she had a beautiful gift for easily training fire, Azula was forced into combat training and was taught, rigorously, the virtues, the beginnings, the sustenance, and the ends of all wars as well as a very detailed history of the war raging now. For this very fact and the fact that her daughter had started to change as a result of what she was learning, Ursa was starting to worry.

Before thinking anything further, her thoughts were disturbed, as her nine-year son walked into the room, crying, while rubbing one of his eyes.

From a single glimpse into his eyes, Ursa knew the situation. It had seemed that his strength had finally failed him and his fears had overtaken her son. She quickly jumped out of her bed and embraced her child, trying to mend his hidden pains, with which she could still not figure out.

His eyes...they were frightened tiny orbs, shaky when most stable, fear a signature mark driven into every dark corner of its design.

The words Zuko formed within his struggling throat, as he had found the protection he was looking for, were ones that she would not nor could not forget. They were vivid in her even after all that had happened in the single year that separated her consciousness from her thoughts of the past.

"He won't stop!" He sobbed, crying into her, "I always cry and cry and I tell him to go away, but he keeps chasing me. I didn't hurt anyone, so why?"

* * *

Zuko knew that the first time he had ever gone to find refuge through the comfort of his mother, regarding that constant and recurring nightmare, she provided it for him, a heart so inviting and so bright, that all the darkness that surrounded him would be swallowed by it and forever disappear. She gave him that heart when he was innocent and naive, and she would continue to do so even when he lost that nature, if ever he lost that nature.

Ursa stared at her child in concern, her hand still set on the handlebar of the door. Placing the diary by the entrance cabinet, she walked over to him and sat down on the edge of his bed.

Zuko stared at his mother, their eyes slowly meeting, two pairs of brilliant golden orbs reading into each others souls. He could see the sadness in her eyes, concerning the fear that was in his. She gently pulled her son towards her, and held him close, running her hand through his hair, as Zuko gripped on to his mother, slowly relinquishing his fear.

"It's okay, my love...," Ursa sweetly pressed. "He's only testing your strength." She could feel his head nod in understanding of her words. "He'll leave you alone once you show him how strong you are..."

Ursa pulled away from her child, and held him by his shoulders, staring deeply into those eyes. "Just be strong, my son." Zuko nodded again in understanding. His tears had started to die down, and slowly, all that remained were the streams that ran down his cheeks. "Zuko, remember...you are the descendant of many powerful men, and their souls are with you, always protecting you."

Ursa placed her son against her again, and had started to sing a sweet melodious tune. Her child tried to enjoy that sweet harmony that came from her soul and through her lips, but it only made his eyelids heavier. A moment later, his eyes had blanketed themselves, the eyelids becoming much to burdensome for the child to resist from closing, finally surrendering to sleep. Even though his vision was severed, his mind became bright and weightless, and his heart and soul resounded with peace, as they escaped their terrible tormentor and were free to roam the pure and undiluted pastures of his unconscious mind.

He was resting happily on his mother, and after his breathing became stable, she laid him on the bed, and placed the covers over him. Quietly making her way out of the room, Ursa acquired the book from the cabinet and closed the door behind her, keen on making sure that nothing would disturb her beloved son.

Ursa, upon fully closing the door, had leaned upon its frame. His nightmares would cease, _'...till another day,'_ she thought to herself in extreme heartache. She wanted to cry right then and there. Seeing her son in so much agony, even if they were very rare and even when she was there to try and help him, was heart breaking to her, since she didn't have the power to take away his suffering. She could only offer her heart and the love of a mother. _'But why...? Why is he suffering so much...?'_

-

Her hands were latched onto the railings as she descended down the length of the stairway that led to the doors of the South Wall, and into the main corridor. When she reached the main corridor, looking up, Ursa had noticed that a few red tailed hawks were perched on the lip of the opening in the ceiling, their cries as terrifying as the screams of war. The candles on the pillars were bright, despite the provision of sunlight. The shadows of the ominous statues standing below each candle basin danced below them as they stood below their halos. The sun's rays had pierced through the crevice and into the top quarter of the room, lighting nothing but a small area near the ceiling. The rest of the ceiling was almost veiled in darkness.

Ursa made her way to the West Wall, and greeted the guards. "Good morning young sirs."

The two guards knelt down on one of their knees, and bowed their heads, "Milady, a good morning it is, and how is yours?" Asked one of them.

_'More gestures, I told them it wasn't necessary...,' _she sighed. "Not as well as yours, I'm afraid. Prince Zuko, well...," she trailed off, looking to the side.

One of the guards took it upon himself to inform their Empress of the situation that occurred in the morning, with the mentioning of the prince's name a reminder of the event. "Milady, a guard from the southern flank had heard the prince yell out just a few hours ago. We would have warned you of it, had not the guard checked on the prince to see him already awake, and wishing to be left alone," he said looking up at her. "I hope all is well with the young warrior."

"Everything is fine. Thank you for your concern," she smiled. Her face then became stern, a feature not usually displayed by the humble woman before them. Fire Empress Ursa stared both guards in the eyes, the gesture causing them to falter a bit in utter surprise, "I'll leave you to your duties on one note though." Her posture relaxed a bit, "You don't have to go through all these formalities if you don't want to. You are part of the Royal family," she kindly informed them.

The tension in their faces smoothed off, "Milady, it is out of respect and out of our own will that we bow down to you. Please accept this," they replied to her.

"My husband has always been proud of you both. And I knew that he would, but now I see why," she grinned at them. Ursa looked back at the sundial and noticed that the hours of the day didn't wait for her, "now, I must be off. Duties await."

One of the guards looked up in gratitude of the compliment, "Thank you, milady. We are here to serve you must you need us to help with the duties."

"I'll call if I need any help," Ursa replied, as she paced through the doors and into the corridor leading to the knowledge-rooms.

Both guards turned back to watch over the door with which Ursa passed through. They stood straight, weapons at their side, as their stares were set back into stone, their armor gleaming from the candlelight around them. Their motivation to stand in that perfect stance, despite the lack of attention they received, was inspired by the statue before them. His robes dragged behind him, and a candle was on his right hand, with his child holding his left. Even set in steel, Fire Lord Sazora had still retained so much honor in the eyes of the many.

-

Ursa walked down the beautifully designed corridor that led to the knowledge-rooms. These rooms were a compilation of giant libraries and personal study areas that were used by knowists, a group of scientific learners, to store all that they had gained from history and research, in order to better access details of many different scientific avenues without venturing too far. The passageway leading to the rooms was a long corridor, lined with many different woods and steel braces. Candles were lit on either sides, illuminating the dark passage and the red carpet that ran down the hallway beneath her feet. The walls were decorated with paintings of several military personnel within various ranks that had performed their services to their empire with great honor and courage.

At the end of the hallway was a junction room with a highly elevated dome ceiling, imprinted with many openings that allowed the light to filter in. In between the openings were carvings of fire-inspired designs. Hawks were perched there as well, but they were much quieter. Around her were the open doors that led to the libraries. Her specific interest was the library known throughout the Nation as "The Historian."

A few servants had greeted her when she had entered, but other than their company, the large room was empty. Above her, the ceiling was at the same height as with the junction room, also with the many openings to let air and light in, with pillars organized into several rows and candles half way up their length. Around Ursa was a mesmerizing collection of books, autobiographies, biographies, historical papers, research documents, and many more of the like, all neatly codified and arranged into the thousands of shelves that lined the walls and that ran throughout the room.

"I'll be in the study, if anyone needs me," she informed one of the attendants at the counter.

"Yes, milady, we are here for your assistance," she responded and watched as the Fire Empress slowly walked over to the royal study.

-

Ursa stepped into the large room and closed the door behind her quietly. Sunlight gently lit up the room providing a soft glow, as it penetrated through the open rice-paper cover. The room was partially lit with the usual form of incandescence. Polished wood, crowning the entirety of the large study area, with a low hanging ceiling to offer comfort, laid the room with a look of great appeal. Around her was a shelf of personal books, and of historical collections that related just to her family.

_'Aunt Brita...,' _she thought to herself as she sat down into the padded chair. She sighed heavily. Brita's funeral arrangements were running smoothly and though she was not there to guide and help the attendants as they did their jobs, Ursa was fulfilling a task that was just as important, if not more. She was carrying through with what Brita insisted that she do, as soon as possible.

_'I have to reveal the sun...I have to remove that curtain of darkness, that veil of night, off of the sun and reveals its truth..., that's what my dear aunt wanted,' _she thought to herself, nervousness wracking her mind. Ursa wasn't confident whether she would be ready for the truth, but what she was sure of, however, was the explicitly stated fact that she was meant to open the book that rested in her hands and she was to do it now, when opportunity provided her a chance. Indeed any human who had believed so much of their own empire would be utterly frightened knowing that something with which they put so much of their faith in was about to be challenged.

The room had the aesthetics to calm the nerves, but as it was, Ursa could not afford that luxury. She was shaky about all of this, whether she knew it or not.

_-_

Zuko was starting to slowly awaken from his slumber, as his peaceful sleep slowly expired. His dream was very bright, both in nature and in atmosphere for he was sitting within a meadow talking with a boy he barely knew, but had wished he had known better, his heroic cousin, Lu Ten.

As they're conversation came to a close, Zuko was left alone in silence, as Lu Ten disappeared from the field. That quietness was shattered instantly, and his senses fully awakened, as a sharp and powerful, physically-real, kick made contact with his side. A scream echoed through the palace halls as the pain hit him full force, just as hard as the blow to his ribs. Rolling out of his bed in affliction, the sheets wrapping around him as he did so, Zuko dropped to the floor onto his stomach. His back had instinctively arched upwards trying to relieve the tension in the offended area, and clinging to his ribs, the prince dropped to his side.

When Zuko creaked his eyes open, his anger flared. "AZULA!"

"Get up, Zuko. Dad's waiting for you in the family room," she informed him, "and clean yourself up...you look disgusting...dumb-dumb." With a tone of clear abhorrence, she turned her back to her aching brother and vacated the room with no sense of remorse for her actions.

Zuko was starting to boil with rage. A frightening nightmare and an admittedly powerful blow to the side in the same morning was not something that could be easily forgotten with thoughts of a bright and peaceful meadow nor by a recollection of the conversation between his cousin and himself. _'I don't know what I ever saw in you that I'd even think of protecting...,' _he thought to himself regretfully, staring at her back as she walked away. He staggered upwards and slowly dragged himself to the bathroom, limping his way through. That kick to his side had riveted an arrow of pain with every step he took towards the bathroom. It was really starting to throb painfully.

Before he could even accomplish a few more steps, Zuko's chest panged a bit as he coughed due to the strain. Slowly he turned around and sat himself on the edge of his bed, looking at the sun. _'Whether or not the day starts out great, I still have to keep up with traditions...' _And with that, the prince tried to straighten his back, ready to perform the morning dedications. Today's kanji would decidedly be 'forgiveness.'

-

The sun was above the horizon by quite a distance now, and yet all this time, Ursa was still staring at the odd book before her. Her eyes kept glazing over its details, in an attempt to find a way to remove the seal. From observation alone, the sealant wasn't something that could just be broken or sliced open and it was the only restraint binding the pages closed. An odd set of lines danced on the sealant, almost resembling the grains of wood and a strange hue of red tinted its form, almost as if blood was part of the sealants mixture. The sealant was placed where the pages edges were supposed to be exposed, and on that side of the sealant, a small depression, which seemed to be a thumb print dragged along the sealant's cast, was visible.

_'How do I remove this...and this clue, if it is a clue, isn't helping either...,' _she pondered hopelessly. Ursa tilted the book to the side, and allowed the light to shade in the inscription that was carved into the sealant once again.

"_May only the next daughter of Fire Empress Erah open the seal with which this hard earned text of knowledge as been bound. May the light of the sun shine upon the truth covered by the night..."_

_'That last line has a double meaning, but what?' _She persistently thought to herself. Ursa carefully analyzed the book, the words kept echoing in her mind, as she desperately tried to find the true intention of the final line. Through logic, Ursa had deducted that the final line had to be a clue, for the simple fact that the first line was so direct and yet the second was so abstract.

Looking over the inscriptions, her eyes, once again, glazed over the diary, but with her concentration focused on the more, physically finer details of the book itself. There were a few things with its construction that confused her, dearly. The book's design was of the norm, but it was the rear cover that plagued her. Its sheer thickness, compared to the front cover itself, was one of the odd details she caught. It was, in fact, so thick that a crystal plate was slipped within its seams. The rear cover acted like a pocket with an opening at the top, allowing the embedded plate to be seen from above, and yet its remaining three sides, kept hidden. _'A thin bar of crystal...a prism...but for what?' _ Ursa noted that the sealant on the side was what kept the prism from slipping out.

Further, and this was the second oddity, when she stared straight at the back of the book, eyes planted on the rear cover's main face, another part of the prism was exposed in the form a tiny square opening, right in the middle of the book. Running her fingers over its cool surface, Ursa noted that its texture was uneven. The final oddity was what was within that rear square-opening. Peering into the glass, she could see dozens of tiny black dots interspersed throughout it. _'What's with this odd construction?'_

Ursa decided to rest into the back of the chair. She knew that it would be more productive if she first relaxed, before she subjected her mind to such powerful details, or before she could come up with some method of decoding the text. As she began to lean back, however, the rays of the sun that melted into the room, hit the top of the book.

"_May the light of the sun shine upon the truth covered by the night..."_

The light penetrated the top of the book, shining some of the sunlight into the exposed opening of the prism by that side, while the rest reflected off its surface, causing a surreal glow to fog the top of the rear cover. The tiny black dots lit up as well and reflected all of the entering light through the square opening at the back of the cover. What was strange in Ursa's eyes, in the mere second before she even comprehended what had happened, was that the light that was exiting the exposed surface was not sent out in the manner in which she thought she would witness, but instead were split up as the tiny beads and the odd and nonuniform surface bent the light and sent them into different, almost predetermined directions.

Then realization dawned on her of what had just happened, as the light focused into her eyes. Ursa jolted up in bewilderment, accidentally pulling the book out of its position in the light, darkening the diary once again. '_What the...,' _she thought in surprise. Looking over the book, Ursa recalled the writing on the sealant, '_May the light of the sun shine upon the truth covered by the night...' _In curiosity she tilted the book again to take advantage of the sun's powerful stare. This time, however, she placed the book away from her and on the desk, such that the intense focus of light would not reflect into her eyes.

As a consequence, the light rays passed into the prism, and shot through the square opening into nothingness. Ursa stared at the book for a moment waiting for something, and then looked up.

"Huh!" She inhaled, a bit taken aback. "Wha-what is this... Are those...words?"

-

Ozai was sitting in the personal family room, a deviant of study room located within the sleeping chambers, past the South Wall. Like the royal study, the room was designed to offer a form of aesthetics to calm the nerves. It had contained a relatively small table as compared to the rest in the palace, able to seat five or six people, with a white silken table cloth on top. Beyond that and the golden lined, wooden chairs, it was almost identical to the royal study. He sat at his chair, at the head of the meeting table, awaiting his children.

Shifting through the papers, Ozai grunted, "Strange...the scout noticed more than just a landslide." The Fire Lord looked over some of the drawings of the area, and though they were not as reliable as actually observing the scene, they were the best resources he could afford at the moment considering the circumstance and the resulting restrictions. The top priority and his limiting situation was the funeral procession that had to be dealt with. After, such things as an investigation to the cause of death of his aunt, could be considered. But as it was, he had already allowed the sages permission to investigate the crime scene, so he had nothing to worry about.

He looked through more of the drawings, and at the several of the angle shots. Throughout every picture, despite the fact that the drawings were drawn from different orientations and perspectives, and were from different investigative artists, he always noticed two prominent details. Those details were two lines, dug deep into the earth, that ran up the mountain side, from its base, towards the ridge where his aunt Brita was supposedly hit by the landslide. The mounds of dirt, sitting both at the base of the mountain and on the ridge, that resulted from the accident, hadn't been cleared. Despite that, the face of that mountain side was still bare, and those two scars bolting towards his aunt's death bed, were very protrusive details.

Ozai, persistent with the fact that something was very abnormal, put the picture closer to his eyes to try and make out any other details, when his daughter opened the door.

"Hi dad," she waved nonchalantly. Azula glanced at the papers sprawled over the desk, _'I wonder what's happening today...' _The Fire Princess walked over to the table with the intention of taking her seat, located to the far left of her father, when, in the midst of pulling her chair out, Ozai looked up from the drawings he was holding.

"Foul play, maybe," he said to no one in particular, staring right through her.

"Pardon, dad?" she said, freezing, her brows furrowing.

"What?" Ozai's glazed expression melted away, as he stared right at his daughter, taking notice of her presence. "Azula? Where is your brother? I called for the both of you."

Azula pulled the chair out, knowing that her father must have been immersed in matters of higher importance to realize that she was there in the first place. "Zuko was still sleeping, so I gave him a wake-up call. He'll be here soon, dad. So what's with the papers?" She asked, sitting down.

Ozai looked over the scattered sheets, and then leaned back in his chair. "These are none of your concern. Right now, I'm more worried about the funeral. That will be the detail we'll wonder over today."

Azula's usually calm and ominous demeanor had suddenly broken in realization of this. "You canceled practice for a funeral arrangement?" She exclaimed in surprise, standing up.

Ozai, stunned by her words, had suddenly shattered the already tempered air, "Azula! Know your place!" He bellowed, his sudden change causing Azula to drop back into her chair in fear. She wasn't used to her father directing such angry words towards her, as she was about his compliments. Ozai eyed her very carefully and with a powerfully intensive stare. "This is the funeral arrangement of my aunt Brita! She is not just anyone, but someone of the Royal Family, a descendant of very powerful and influential men, and a person of close relations to your uncle and I. In a matter of days, we'll have to bury a loved member of our family with which I dearly regret."

"I'm sorry father." She murmured in shame, looking down.

Ozai shook off the tension building into his shoulder. "Anyway, this meeting is about your participation in the funeral. I have to go over a few details with the both of you, as to the procession and the usual traditions. If anything goes wrong, and if it is due to any actions related to you or your brother, your mother won't be there to stop both your punishments," Ozai stated flatly, shifting through the papers once again.

One detail caught him though and, in the back of his head, it was irritating him. Though it was a surprise to him that Azula would actually have the nerve to consider practice more important than funeral arrangements, especially of a family member, royal or not, it was the fact that she had suddenly addressed him as 'father,' just because of a sudden change in his tone, that surprised him even more.

-

Ursa looked at the ceiling in shock. She had visited this room on many occasions, to meditate, to read and to relax, and as such, she had known the room to its every degree. So it was to her utter astonishment that there appeared to be 'blurred' writing on the ceiling, which also happened to be very 'bright,' almost glowing. _'That's very strange...'_

Snapping out of her temporary state of amazement, she removed herself from the chair and stood on it. Ursa reached for the writing, to see what it truly was, but as her hand approached it, a fragment of the writing darkened out to match with the ceiling. _'A shadow...? Is this light...?' _Remembering what had happened just a few moments earlier, she gazed back down to observe the book below. Ursa viewed the surreal glow of the square-opening on the rear face of the book, noticing that it was focusing the redirected sunlight over to where her hand now was. The dust, floating around the room, were captured within the beams of light as they danced around in freedom.

Stepping off of the chair, she reached over for the book and looked up at the light. Pulling on it, Ursa saw that the writing, penned in light, moved with the book, while at the same time dimming out, due to the lack of sunlight as the book moved further away from the source. _'So the light is entering the book and is being reflected through here,' _she thought tapping the square opening,_ 'to form...something like words...' _Ursa knew that the light was indeed forming words with some sort of tangible meaning. She didn't know how the diary accomplished it exactly, but it had to do something with the black dots and the odd surface.

Brushing the detail aside, she focused back on the words written into the ceiling as the light bounced off its surface. Trying to comprehend the writing, Ursa vocalized whatever words she could properly identify. "Shatter...link? ...you and I together. Break...?"The rest of the words were too blurred to make any details of it. _'It's almost like it's out of focus...'_

The word 'focus' summoned up a time in her past long ago. Ursa remembered that when she was just a child, her mother used to teach her a certain form of art that involved the use of a small telescope and a block of wood. When sunlight was directed through the telescope, and when the lens' were adjusted such that the light became a single and very tiny dot, she was able to use that concentrated beam of pure sunlight to burn messages and art signs into the wood._ 'But that required the light to be focused...'_

Ursa used her intuition to reinforce a theory that formulated within her. Lifting the book off of the desk, she noticed that the writing dramatically sharpened at a surprising rate, as the book was raised into the air, and then blurred again when it moved any higher. Lowering the book very carefully, the beams converged once again. At a certain point, during the time she was trying to bring the words into focus, the words became visible, almost as if it was written in pen. It seemed to Ursa, that the book was more than just a text of knowledge, but was the pinnacle of intelligence at that day and age more than sixty years ago.

Placing a few books under the diary to support it at the correct height, she looked up at the writing very carefully. The words were clear now, and were written with excellent penmanship. '_Shatter the seal with the very link that binds you and I together._ _If it was meant to be, it will break.'_

_'Great, another riddle,' _Ursa sighed, looking back at the book. _'What's in here that's so important that it requires so many measures of insurance?' _That question alone, as she started to think about its context more and more, had created a motivation that drove her to again find out how to open the book. There was information in here that her great grandmother never wanted anyone to know about, unless it was by one that had the ability to take its words into mind to bring about the necessary changes.

Ursa sat back in the chair and looked at the writing in the ceiling. _'Shatter the seal with the very link that binds you and I together._ _If it was meant to be, it will break.'_

"'If it was meant to be, it will break...,' that makes sense. There's no other way to comprehend that message. The seal will break if I was meant to find the contents within the book," she whispered to herself, with the intention of establishing all the necessary details, so that an overlap of interpretation would not occur later.

"Shatter the seal...with the very link that binds you and I together," she read, the words causing her to quirk her eyebrow in confusion. "The very link that binds you and I together...," she wondered to herself. "What do we both share, great grandmother? What can we both share, now, even with a separation of three generations?"

_'The most obvious relation would be our heritage. We are of the Fire Nation, and our cultures are the same, despite a few changes, but that is to be expected with so many years between us...but what else?' _Ursa knew that the answer was simpler than the riddle had insinuated. _ 'There would also be our ancestry and that would also bind us together, since our ancestors are identical. But any of the ancestors you knew, would already to be buried by now in my time...and any living relative in my time, you would have never known about. What binds us then?' _

Ursa knew the link between her and her great grandmother could have been any number of relationships and since she had no clue as to the riddle's answer, any number of relationships could have been considered, from physical characteristics, to traditions and lineage. _'But which one is the most viable path to opening this book? It can't really be this hard...' _

Ursa decided to clear away the most improbable relationship first, which she thought were physical characteristics, and then work towards the more likely links. She gazed unto her own hand, to see if there was anything tangible that her great grandmother was referring too. Scanning her hand with no real objective, her eyes passed over the bandage. Ursa noticed a small red stain on the cloth as a result of the cut she received earlier.

The Fire Empress' eyes then jolted open in utter surprise, as realization settled upon her._ 'Our Blood!' _Ursa screamed in her head, _'Our blood is the same! It's what binds us together!'_

Ursa reread the riddle penned in light, for her ears to hear, "Shatter the seal...with the very link that binds you and I together. If it was meant to be, it will break." Ursa fixed her gaze at the sealant, fully aware that she was now a step closer to unlocking very ominous and dark secrets.

The red hue, caught her eye. _'If that is truly the blood of my great grandmother transfused into the mixture that is part of the hindrance before me, then it can only be my blood that will have any affect on its cast...hopefully the desired effect...,' _she pondered. "So, I have to shatter this seal with my blood...if it's used against it, it should break. But if it doesn't work, then what do I do...? What can I do? However, I must not show fear before I attempt this. It could work...so then how do I apply it?" She wondered aloud to herself, tapping her finger on the table.

Ursa's eyes were still fixated on the sealant, however, her concentration deviated from its red hue, to its abnormal indent. It, in all honesty, looked like a thumb print that ran down the length of the sealant. "That might be what the strange depression is for. It could be a guide...to where my blood should lie..."

Ursa leaned forward and picked up the book. _'I sincerely hope this works...,' _she silently prayed. Looking at her thumb, the Fire Empress took the initiative, removing the clip that held the bandage tight and the unwinding the bandage itself. As a consequence, the slit reopened, and squeezing around the cut, a small bulb of blood appeared as a result, right over the cut. Ursa firmly pressed her appendage against the sealant and dragged her thumb down over the depression, following its path.

She removed her thumb from the depression to see the result. _'Huh?' _Ursa thought in confusion. To her eyes, the blood that she had taken the pains of applying, were actually sinking into the sealant. The grain lines that were branched throughout the sealant, had begun to brim over with the iron filled substance as her blood followed through its network, finally being bound as if it were within a sponge. _'...its working!' _Acting along the grains, the sealant began to curl up, as its form crumbled.

Ursa took the opportunity to gently peel the rest of the sealant off herself. She smiled contentedly, _'I guess it was meant to be then. I was meant to find out what truths my dear great grandmother had stumbled upon...' _But even with such reassurance, she was still unnerved about the fact that what she was about to open, might have been too much to handle.

_-_

Zuko grappled his side with a strong arm as he limped down the corridor of the sleeping chambers. Azula's iron kick to his ribs, had caused a stubborn and powerful aftershock of irritation. His free arm had made use of the wooden rim that ran along the wall, using it as a support as he dragged his way past the stairs that was connected to the South door and to the main corridor, with the intention of getting to the room that Azula had barbarically informed him of.

_'Hmm...?' _He wondered. As he trudged past the stairs, he could hear the muffled sounds of screaming men coming from a distance. He stopped in his tracks and turned towards what he thought was the source. Looking towards the stairway that was now behind him, he shot up one of his eyebrows, as the sounds became much more audible.

The very first statement tinged the air with severe urgency. "STOP! Stop those creatures!" The statement caused him to quirk his other eyebrow too, changing his demeanor from confused to absolutely stunned. _'Hmm!'_

According to the screams, there apparently was a wild animal running through the palace with which Zuko knew could not have been possible. Using the argument as a defense he tried to laugh it off. _'That'd be funny if there were actual creatures running around here...,' _he thought turning back around to head in his original direction.

"STOP!" This, despite the argument, caused Zuko to both falter in step and flare his eyes. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, as he began rethinking what he just thought, '_I really...REALLY, hope this is not what I'm thinking it is...' _An image of a giant animal baring its fangs reeled through this imagination, forcing him to face the stairs again, _'please...I hope its not some crazy saber mountain cat bear...'_

"Hey, come back here dammit!" Screamed another soldier, shattering the prince out of his daze. The voices were close enough for Zuko to identify them, and to his knowledge, they were the palace soldiers. "Sound the alarm! Wild animals in the vicinity, and their dangerous!"

The last statement jump-started Zuko's brain, as his dreaded thoughts were confirmed. _'A nightmare, kick to the side by my sister, and attacked by a wild animal...animals... Happy thoughts will definitely NOT make me happier today...,' _Zuko thought to himself in panic. Turning back around, once again, the prince pointed himself to the other end of the corridor, a destination he was originally headed for, with the full intention of surviving the morning.

"They're heading up to the sleeping chambers!" Cried another guard. "Don't sound the alarms though, that'll probably disturb everyone-"

"Idiot! Those things will kill you if you give it a chance! We need to sound the alarms," bellowed another.

Zuko tried to hop towards the family room, where his father and sister were, in hopes of reaching there faster. _'There's more than one in here! There's more than one!' _He screamed in his mind, trying desperately to ignore the pain, as his body strained with every leap. Rivulets of sweat cascaded down Zuko's face as his sanity reached the brink of fracturing.

His ears perked sharply as he picked up the sounds of footsteps trailing up the stairs, the beasts making their way into the sleeping chambers. "OH NO! They've breached the South Wall! Hurry!" A short moment later, and another cry was heard, "And where's the damn alarm?"

Zuko deemed this to be his end. His body was wracked with pain, his mind was flimsy with panic, and the nearest door was too far for him to even comprehend. _'What a horrible morning...' _The prince turned around and stared at the monstrosities as they set foot on the clean marble floors of the sleeping quarters right by the stairway, which to his surprise, was quite a distance from him now.

They're forms were in full view, and worse yet, their eyes were fixated on their first prey. Zuko's sanity began to recompose, for there before him were...

...A komodo rhino pup, with three tiny bumps for horns, and big eyes and a small red puff of red and black feathers, a red tailed chick, situated on its head.

The chick turned its head to observe the area, its intentions unclear, and once again rested its tiny black orbs on Zuko. Sticking out its wing in his direction, its chest puffed out before giving one powerfully small squeak. In response, the pup mad-dashed towards the prince, only to slip and spin out on its belly. The chick quickly shook its head to regain composure, and tried to find the young Fire Prince again. Once it did, and a small chirp later, the pup was quick to its feet and again bolted towards the young prince.

Zuko stared at the creatures in utter bewilderment as they closed the distance. Behind the scampering animals, Zuko took notice of the mass of soldiers and servants that ran up the stairs only to collide into each other and collapse on the opposing wall. "They're attacking the Fire Prince!" Screamed one of the soldiers, poking his head out of the entangled crowd. "My word!" hollered one of the many servants now sprawled out on the floor.

Two soldiers recovered fast enough to attempt to run to Zuko's aid, just as the creatures had done. Two chirps sounded, and the pup tried to come to a stop, only to slide desperately and ultimately run into the prince's legThe creature bound up and around, scampering to hide behind Zuko's leg, with the chicks head sticking out to survey the danger.

Zuko was so surprised he couldn't even laugh, _'I don't even need happy thoughts now!'_ Realization hit him like a bag of coal, as a he discerned the fact that a group of elite guards was chasing down two baby animals as they struggled to escape.

The two guards stopped short of Zuko, worried for their prince's safety and of their own, for the creatures were dangerously close to him. The prince held out his hand to stop them for a moment, and bending over, he picked up the two creatures in his hands. The bird marched its way to Zuko's head, standing tall right at the base of his pony tail. It held out its wing in the opposite direction of the soldiers and chirped once indicating that he wanted Zuko to run in that direction. The pup on the other hand, just opened its mouth, with its tongue hanging out, panting.

"My prince...be very still...these creatures are unforgiving...," one of the soldiers said as his hand approached the creature grasped in Zuko's hands. Just by his clothing, and the fire emblems adorning his metallic body armor, Zuko understood that this was the one of the lead guards of the unit deployed to capture the animals.

The pup turned its head and opened its mouth wide, only to bite down on the soldiers hand. A yelp escaped the guards mouth, as he quickly drew his hand back in fear. Since the creature had no teeth, save for two tiny bumps sticking out of its gums, the only thing scarring the soldier's hand was the intense saliva that covered it. "What power...," he drawled.

"That's it?" The other soldier asked incredulously, looking towards the offensive animal. He then turned his attention to the commander of the operation, his eyebrow twitching bitterly, "You deployed...," he stopped mid sentence to clarify his words, and very slowly continued, "...the royal guard, the 7th tactical squadron, sent a request for the attendants help and had wanted to sound the main alarms...FOR THIS!" He stated angrily pointing his finger at the rhino pup, and the red tailed chick on top of Zuko's head "A puppy with no teeth, and ball of feathers!"

"Incredible, aren't they?" The commander established, trying to clean his hands.

"NO!" The soldier screamed back, his hands thrown up to show his disapproval with the matter. He stormed off back towards the stairs to help his comrades that were still intertwined with the servants, all lying helplessly on the floor of the sleeping chambers.

The lead guard, though, was rather persistent. He had made a few more attempts at retrieving the innocent creatures, while keeping his proximity at an optimum distance, but by the dozenth and unsuccessful try, and after his fingers had gotten wrinkled from the amount of spit his hand was subjected to, the help he really needed hastily raced up the stairs, and performed a back flip only to slip onto the pileup. The young girl quickly recovered, and in an instant later, Zuko could have sworn he saw her eyes shine with light as her view rested upon the two animals that were in his custody.

"Bou! Ar! There you are!" She exclaimed jumping for joy.

"Ty Lee...?" Inquired the young prince.

"Prince Zuko! You found the circus kits!" She bounded over to the prince and gently lifted the pup from Zuko's hand. In the young girl's cradling arms, the creature gave a small yawn, and slowly closed its eyes. "This little cutie," Ty Lee stated, in response to the pup's yawn, "is Ar." She then proceeded to tickle the rhino's exposed belly, causing it to wriggle in laughter. "He's usually sleepy, so he doesn't run much, but with Bou as company," she said pointing to the young chick, "these two are really hard to handle!"

"Well, I shall take my leave. It seems the situation is under control," stated the remaining guard, who turned around and had proceeded to helping his deployed soldiers that were still in the entanglement.

The said bird flitted across the gap between Zuko and Ty Lee, landing on her shoulder. "Bou...well, she's pretty bossy for a bird..." _'Hmm, strange...,' _she thought, leaning on one leg and staring at Zuko with a frown, but not one that reflected disappointment as it did confusion.

Zuko could see the apparent inquisition in her face and feeling uneasy at being gawked at, tried to resolve her confusion, "What's wrong-"

Cutting him off, Ty Lee, stated flatly, "You're the first person that Bou and Ar have ever warmed up to so fast." She placed Ar on the floor and continued, "I'm their only caretaker and it took me weeks to get them to like me. Most of the time, I was off trying to cage Bou while Ar would just yawn and go to sleep."

Ty Lee giggled, as the birds feathers grazed her cheeks, trying to climb onto her head. Upon successfully scaling the peak, Bou stood as tall as her three inch frame would allow, and huffed in as much as air as possible. Directing its wing toward the end of the corridor, the hawk chirped. "Nope...we're going back to the school, you rascals, and its not that way." The bird's wings drooped as it looked down, and gave out a long chirp of sadness.

"You can understand them!" The prince asked, severely startled.

Ty Lee giggled a bit more before she continued. "Well, I can't understand Ar, since all he does is yawn. He listens well though! Bou...on the other hand," the bird jumped onto her finger as Ty Lee pointed at it, "...well, she has a simple way of talking to people. From what I've seen...one chirp means 'go' and two means 'stop'. I think two and half means 'turn.'"

"Two and half? Birds can chirp half?" Zuko asked furrowing his eyebrows.

"Actually, its sort of two chirps and a choke. I guess that's what it is...," she tried to reason to herself.

Zuko got down on his knees and stared at the pup, who stood on the floor trying to climb Ty Lee's legs. The prince imitated Bou, providing his best impression of a chirp. Within a moment, Ar looked back at the prince and then promptly started chasing its tail. Zuko had on such a big grin that his cheeks forced him to close his eyes.

The young aspiring acrobat caught sight of his eyes before they closed and could see the mirth in them, "You know Prince Zuko...since you're the first person they've ever liked, just in a single glance, I think you should come visit them," she smiled happily.

"You mean at the girls academy?" He asked in surprise, jumping up. Realizing what he said, he quickly covered his mouth and continued in a hushed tone, "I can't go there!"

Ty Lee brushed the comment aside, waving her hand, "Nah, they stay at the circus. I take the beginners CQ...," she suddenly trailed off, looking away a bit disappointed in herself.

CQ stood for Close Quarters, and Zuko knew her sentence ended with 'combat course', causing him to frown internally for he knew he could never take any course with a nature such as that. His lack of skill in combat forbade it.

Ty Lee, herself, knew how Zuko felt about being superseded by everyone around him, and quickly tried to get on to her more pleasant point. "...so I usually visit the circus for training. They stay there most of the time, so you should visit..., it'd be nice to see you there," she placated trying to convince the prince.

The prince could only offer a smile, before a circus trainer appeared, heavily panting near the stairway entrance. He turned and spotted the couple engaged in their conversation, but had to inquire of the more important issue. "Ty Lee! Have you retrieved the young ones yet?" He asked hurriedly, with heavy breaths.

"Yup, they're right here, sei-fu," she informed, waving to her teacher. Turning back to face the young boy before her, she continued, "Anyway, Prince Zuko, I'll see ya later!" She winked before picking up the still tail-chasing pup, and then dashed to the stairway.

Zuko waved his hand at the retreating figure as she disappeared down the stairs with her teacher, her pets, the royal guard, the 7th tactical squadron, and the attendants. _'At least those annoying alarms weren't sounded...' _He turned around and made his way towards the meeting room, still limping. His ears perked again, as the emergency bells ran off. _'Oh boy...'_ In the distance, he heard a muffled scream, "Idiot! The situation is already contained! Turn that damn thing off!"

* * *

Unbeknown to any in the Fire Nation, or any other being in world, a meeting of the intellectual was taking place. Very dark and lurid minds were assembled within the confines of an elaborately decorated room on the islands of the Northern Air Temple.

Aside from the single opening in the middle of the ceiling, that allowed a portion of the sun's light to clarify the time of day, the rest of the room was still fabricated in darkness. Hanging below the opening, its wire supports at each edge of the crevice of the ceiling, was a magnificent and marvelously assembled chandelier, composed of black diamonds. The walls were of black stones, and the tiles, black marble.

A very large, square, meeting table with a square opening, was situated right in the middle of the lurid chamber, and in the seats were eight people for every empire, both composed of men and women, adding to a total of thirty two occupied seats. It was ordered such that the Air Nomadic face of the table was towards the north, the Water Tribe towards the east, The Earth Kingdom towards the south, and the Fire Nation towards the West. Behind every such person, there was banner that hung vertically posted to the walls, representing the empire they were from, as well as a symbol of their clan. They themselves were almost unrecognizable, and despite the fact that they could barely see each other, a discussion was in progress.

"The two, very prominent scars, embedded on the mountain face, in the assassination of Lady Brita, has prompted the Fire Lord to permit us to perform a thorough investigation of her death," said one of assembled members, a person from the party of the Nation's face.

"It was one of you own, was it not, who had eliminated her?" Asked another from the Kingdom's face. "Had it been performed by another not linked to us, we might have to deal with that person, or persons, existence. Any nuisance to our plans must most happily be disposed of."

"It, indeed, was one of my own. The Fire Lord has no knowledge of our existence, and as such, has, most fortunately, allowed members of our sect, entry to all details of the investigation. We have successfully taken control of that...," reassured the speaker.

Another, most likely female judging from her voice, and one that resonated from the Nomadic face, interrupted the exchange. "Mind you, no one should know of our existence..."

"Its under control," he responded, eyeing the silhouette of the member from the Air Nomad face. He turned back to the beings assembled, "In any case, allow me to finish off the briefing before we entirely deviate from the topic at hand." With that, the rest of the group quieted down, and at the response, the speaker from the Fire Nation face continued, "We were given permission to all paths of the investigation. And with that we were able to finally gain access to that damnable house."

Another much older, female voice, from the Nation's face, continued from there, "We used the reason that she had departed that house before her death..."

"...As a means to gain entry with investigative purpose as our alibi," informed a near identical voice from the same face of the table.

"Exactly. We were in the house, thoroughly searching for the diary of Erah, the only hindrance to all our plans-" he was then rudely cut off once again.

"To spend our resources on a book of such unfounded pretexts, is idiotic to say the least," glared one of the females from the Tribal face.

"Listen to my explanation before labeling my theories," he stated, glaring back at the woman. "Her existence damned our own hidden identity, and for all we know, her diary has detailed knowledge of our exploits. Remember, she knew of our plans, even if she never pointed fingers. If anything, details of her own investigation are trapped in that book." He planted both his hands on the table and stood up, "Understand that if any were to ever lay their hands on that text, without it first being in our hands, many of our coups would be exposed. It was paramount, and in my discretion, that we attained the book..."

"And your progress with the situation...?" Wondered a burly man from the Kingdom's face.

"Unsuccessful. The book was not within its confines, and torture of the local citizens as well as the residents of the household, was of course out of the question, being that they are royalty..." He inhaled a bit of air to continue, but another member finished the sentence.

"But that is only for now," replied a member to the speakers right. "In any case, we searched her body, and there was nothing. She apparently never had the book in her possession before she left the house, nor after her departure. However, the book is also not within the house, and therefore, it must be out of our sight and reach. But despite the circumstance, we must accumulate all pieces of its existence and then destroy it..."

"...as well as any who figure out its contents. We MUST," he stated, slamming the table hard, "not only reacquire that book, but must also destroy those who know of its existence and of its textual matter. We must hide the crumbs of bread it leaves behind us."

A skinnier being from the Kingdom's face had then snarled, "And what if it were the Fire Lord who had possession of this book? What of it then?"

"We'd have to kill him," he responded nonchalantly.

A representative from the Nomadic face then spoke, "Then this means, _any_ person who is a liability will be assassinated, then? Is that what you are insinuating? To go so far as to say that you would murder your own Lord, means that every other person is no less susceptible..."

"Exactly," he smirked.

"Then so be it. Reacquire that book, and eliminate all our impediments. The rest of us will prepare for the arrival of Solzen's comet...and the advent of the final sacrifice." The eight Air Nomadic members stood up, signaling that their participation of the discussion was over. The rest of the members stood as well, indicating that the meeting itself had concluded.

In a quiet voice, she, as a consequence of the meetings end, had finally stated, before departing, "The assembly of the Confederate Empire is adjourned."

* * *

_**Side Notes:** The Imperial Attendants _

**T**he servants of the Royal family were eager to please the will of their empress, but as it had always been, every time she saw their faces, she was already more than happy with them. Acting as her extended family, she cared very much for their well being and happiness, so she had forced upon them the same requirements as she did her children, which were proper sleep, proper meals, and proper breaks.

Originally, the servants were the lowly of the Fire Nation. They were the poor or the incapable, unable to serve the military nor the society. They were cast out of communities, were treated harshly and unjustly, and were forced to perform menial, insignificant jobs just to earn a living. Some jobs, however, were also underground trading of black market merchandise, which included weapons and explosives. On the line of poverty, they were pushed to their extremes.

Fire Empress Ursa, when she gained power to control civil law, had paid visits to the outlying communities of the poor. In pity and out of love for her people, she had decided to employ them, to allow them perform palace duties. As such they were paid well, had a residence to sleep in, company to be with, and were never again treated as lowly as they had once appeared.

Now they were of royalty themselves. They were the direct servants to the royal family of the Fire Nation. Such was their honor, and their pride. Her kindness to them was beyond anything they could ever have asked for and their devotion to her was incomprehensible. She had come to know each of the servants by name, and since there were hundreds, it was impressive. They were indebted to her, and all of them would give their life for her, just as much as she would for them.

_**Side Notes:** Erah's Diary Prism _

The prism idea is actually really easy to comprehend. The opening at the top of the book, absorbs the light coming into it. As it does, it hits the tiny beads, which are actually very tiny mirrors. The light gets reflected through the square opening on the rear face of the book. As it does, the uneven surface of that part of the prism, causes the light to refract in different directions, which at some point in space, converge to form the message that Erah wanted Ursa to find out.

* * *

**Post - - A/N 1:** _This chapter was developed as a prelude for the following chapters, maybe lasting 2 or 3 chapters. Consider this to be the "Discovery Arc" of my story. _

**Post - - A/N 2: **_You may think that this chapter could not have taken so long to create. So why so long to update? In actuality, this chapter was reduced by almost 6 pages and it was those 6 pages, along with the preparation for the remaining arc of this part of the story that took so much of time to create. I spent close to 25 hours preparing the elements that made the next set of chapters and the central idea of the story itself. I'm sorry to those who may be angered by this. _

**Post - - A/N 3: **_The next set of chapters may end up being the most critical and most intricate of the entire story. I say 'may' for two reasons. All of you are smart, and some of you may understand everything, so it just 'might' seem intricate. Second, well, I'm having trouble in the way the next chapter should be told. It might end up being less critical and less intricate than I originally planned for, but that's only because of story purposes, and not because of time limitations. _

**Post - - A/N 4: **_The story will start escalating soon, well, 'soon' is used in relative terms. I mean, compared to the rest of the story, it will be soon. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter._


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